Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2004. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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United Press International - Tuesday, July 13, 2004
Dr. Amy Kaler found a high number of sexually active Malawian young men say they are HIV-positive, without having any medical evaluation or signs of AIDS.
"They assume, first, that it is everywhere and will eventually kill everyone and second, that AIDS is extremely infective and that if one has been exposed to the virus, one's days are numbered," said Kaler.
Boys in school argue with their teachers that there's no point in studying because no one will be alive in five years, according to Kaler.
The study, published in Social Science and Medicine and Demographic Research, said not only did men associate manliness with HIV, but a particular idea of masculinity is used to justify continuing risky sexual behavior, such as having multiple partners or not using condoms, because the man believes he has already contracted the virus.
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