From exceptionalism to normalisation: a reappraisal of attitudes and practice around HIV testing

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Abstract
At the start of the epidemics in the United States and the United Kingdom, men who have sex with men argued when HIV/AIDS was first recognised—with the support of civil liberties groups, physicians, public health officials and others—for policies that differed from a traditional infectious disease control approach.3 4 5 6 This strategy has previously been termed “HIV/AIDS exceptionalism.”3 Clinical confidentiality and anonymised surveillance systems were emphasised, and informed consent was strengthened. The use of HIV antibody tests, when they became available, was restricted in a way not seen previously for other diagnostic investigations. This initial response, based on concerns about abuses of civil rights, was influenced by the vocal involvement of members of affected communities in the science and politics of HIV/AIDS (AIDS activism).