Despite advances in treatment, the number of newly confirmed cases of HIV in Japan has remained flat for the past decade, a sign that misconceptions about the disease are making progress toward eradication difficult.
"The stigma around HIV is the reason that we can't end it. In many places, people are still afraid of HIV or afraid of people living with HIV. We need to be clear that that idea is old, that is 30 years old," Owen Ryan, executive director of the International AIDS Society, said on a recent visit to Japan.
Ryan, whose group of doctors, nurses and researchers is working to eliminate AIDS, called for more self-testing.