Tough

In today’s Guardian there’s a story about a survey that’s been done into Britain’s attitude towards those with Hiv/AIDS. It makes for some disturbing reading.

One fifth of those polled said they felt it was people’s own fault if they got HIV/Aids. Almost a quarter said that drug users who contract the infection through shared needles should not get treatment on the NHS. 26% felt people had the right to know who in their community had HIV/Aids and 17% said they would worry if they knew their doctor had treated patients who were HIV positive.

A large proportion – 41% – thought that asylum seekers should not be allowed to stay if they had HIV/Aids. The survey shows ignorance about the virus – only 64% knew that babies can be infected in the womb, 73% knew you could get it from a blood transfusion, while 11% thought you could get it from kissing and 5% from eating with the same cutlery.