March 1 marks Zero Discrimination Day, a yearly reminder to celebrate everyone’s right to live a fulfilling and productive life, with dignity.
Launched in 2014 by the United Nations’ HIV and AIDS program, UNAIDS, the day has often been noted by organizations that battle discrimination against people living with the disease.
It’s an uphill battle, says Santiago Perez Patrigeon, an infectious-disease clinician and researcher in the Faculty of Health Sciences.
“I always say that the most difficult pandemic to eradicate is stigma and discrimination, but without addressing it first, we will never get rid of HIV or AIDS.”
In 2023, 39.9 million people globally were living with HIV, 1.3 million people became newly infected with HIV, and 630,000 people died from AIDS-related illnesses.
Those numbers represent dramatic reductions since peaks in the 1990s and early 2000s, but there are still laws and practices that discriminate and prevent further decreases, says Dr. Perez Patrigeon, whose research has focused on HIV, including finding a cure.
We asked Dr. Perez Patrigeon about what we can all do to end this discrimination and how alumni can support their work.
You grew up in the 1980s and have been working as a clinician-researcher since the 2000s. How have you seen the stigma and discrimination attached to HIV and AIDS evolve over the years?
The stigma has certainly evolved. In the 1980s, having HIV was a death sentence – it was very intense. And I remember even in the 2000s that nobody wanted to give their patients their diagnosis of HIV. People were so afraid because they didn’t necessarily know what HIV meant. Nowadays, people do know, and they know there’s treatment. But discrimination is still there. We must remember, though, that discrimination is different depending on where we’re talking; it has many different faces. South Africa has one of the highest incidences of HIV in the world, and the biggest risk factor there is to be a 17-year-old girl. In the U.S., Canada, Latin America, it’s more 40-year-old men who prefer to have sex with men. A more recent evolution is the decision in the U.S. to shut down some international aid programs. That will cause major disruptions in the continuity of care for many people who are already facing discrimination. HIV is a rapid wildfire. If you stop aiding people, it will ignite, and cases will rise very quickly.
What can we do to end this discrimination?
There is a magic pill that will save us all from stigma and discrimination. It’s one word: education. It’s the only way for salvation. Kids are not born racists or bullies or with the idea of discrimination. We learn it. So, we have to teach kids differently, and we have to teach them from a young age. I remember, for instance, that I was at a conference of the International AIDS Society in Amsterdam, and there was a talk given by someone from the Netherlands’ Ministry of Health. She told us that in that country they teach kids in kindergarten about gender and sexual preferences. We should all do the same. We can talk to kids about these things. It’s OK. You just have to adapt what you’re telling them.
How can alumni support your own educational work?
One way is to follow me on my different social media channels, including Bluesky and Threads. Good communication is a way to fight miscommunication and discrimination, and it’s a way to educate. And I try to do that by disseminating good knowledge on these channels. I really started doing this during the pandemic, and it was great because it was a way to disseminate reliable information, research papers, and news flashes. So, I’m going to continue doing this to educate about infectious diseases, including HIV.
You can also support Dr. Perez Patrigeon’s work by giving to the Division of Infectious Diseases Trust Fund.
