HIV exceptionalism is the term given to the trend to treat AIDS differently from other sexually transmitted, infectious, lethal diseases in law and policy. Whereas the traditional public health approach has been to employ practices like forced testing, compulsory treatment and isolation, these methods have been widely rejected as inappropriate for AIDS. Instead, HIV exceptionalists emphasize the human rights of people living with AIDS, in particular their rights to privacy, confidentiality, and autonomy. As treatment regimes, understanding of the pandemic, and awareness about HIV/AIDS stigma and discrimination evolves, more scholars are arguing for an end to HIV exceptionalism.
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