Research on the effects of social media has evidenced their influence on public opinion concerning health issues. However, there are scarce analyses that pay attention to this influence when health advice generalizes certain groups' sexual practices. This generalization occurred with monkeypox, men who have sex with men, after two World Health…

The paper compares discussions in 12 groups of university students (6 Slovak and 6 Scottish) equal in sex and age. The participants discussed the same problem--how to control the spread of HIV/AIDS and respect medical confidentiality (MC). Systematic comparisons revealed striking differences between the two national groups. The Scottish…

The shadow cast by HIV reaches beyond individuals diagnosed with the condition. It touches the lives of family members, friends, coworkers, and many others. One group in particular that feels these effects keenly is the children of HIV-positive parents. With improved treatments that have extended the life expectancies of HIV-infected people and…

Misconceptions about HIV/AIDS among Latino adults (N=454) in California were examined using data from a population-based telephone survey conducted in 2000. Common misconceptions concerning modes of HIV transmission included transmission via mosquito or animal bite (64.1%), public facilities (48.3%), or kissing someone on the cheek (24.8%). A…

This essay critically engages challenges made against the federally mandated deferral policies which prohibit "men who have sex with other men" from donating blood. I argue that "passing" and "protest" are dialogically dependent on one another as two separate but related tactics of resistance. Drawing on interview materials from men who have both…

AIDS continues to be a death sentence for many individuals living in South Africa where it remains the leading cause of death. Little is currently known about what it is like to experience the loss of a loved one to AIDS from the South African perspective and how to assist individuals who are living in a context vastly different from similarly…

We investigate how the distribution of AIDS cases in the United States increased homophobia over time. Using pooled GSS surveys, 1973-1998, with state-reported AIDS cases, we estimate models for variation in homophobic attitudes as a function of the time-specific proportion of AIDS cases in a given state. AIDS incidence had a negative impact on…

The study investigated the general population's perceived infectivity of asymptomatic and recovered severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) patients and factors associated with avoidance and discriminatory attitudes, including demographic background, SARS-related perceptions and emotional response to the SARS epidemic. A population-based survey…

Examines the social, biological, and political forces that changed the public policy conception of HIV/AIDS from an acute epidemic to a chronic illness. Provides an overview of the institutional and social responses to the disease. Discusses and defines characteristics of the chronic illness and plague models. (MJP)

The latest epidemic, acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), is ending an unprecedented interval of optimism about medicine's ability to conquer illness. (MSE)

An evaluation is presented on the impact of HIV/AIDS on the education sector in the Asia Pacific region. Its focus is how human rights in relation to education have been upset by the epidemic. The education sector is urged to develop more initiatives to educate about the epidemic, and to build measures that deal with both immediate and long-term…

In South Africa where there is a very high HIV infection rate among teenagers and young adults, it is surprising to find that students and teachers are very unwilling to talk about the possibility of being or becoming HIV positive. While AIDS messages dominate public discourse, there is a silence in schools about the personal in relation to AIDS.…