CURRENT efforts to fight AIDS, including international commitments to achieve universal access to treatment, care and support by 2010 will fail if the pervasive stigma faced by people living with HIV is not tackled more aggressively.

This was said by an AIDS activist, Charles Moyo during a two day aids workshop held in Bulawayo last week.

Moyo said hospitals, clinics and other health care settings are among the places where people living with HIV still experience some of the worst HIV-related stigma.

"HIV-related stigma cannot be tackled until health systems are strengthened at the local level so that everyone has access to basic health care," said Moyo during his presentation.

Moyo said most people in Zimbabwe are reluctant to access HIV testing services because of fear of stigma and the implications of death often associated with a positive diagnosis.

"Stigma and discrimination are the two major hurdles that continue to hamper rehabilitation of people infected and affected by HIV in most countries," said Moyo.

He said the stigma and discrimination was more prevalent in women and girls.

The continuing presence of stigma represents a failure in HIV policy-making and programme design.