The glossary was compiled by a group of epidemiologists, sociologists, journalists and representatives of nongovernmental organisations. It was published by the national health school "Andrija Stampar" in cooperation with the US Agency for International Development. The presentation was also attended by US Ambassador Ralph Frank.
One of the measures aimed at combating discrimination is the use of neutral terms, such as the use of the term "homosexuality" instead of the term "homosexualism" and the English term "AIDS" instead of the French term "sida", which was used when the disease was discovered and which has very negative connotations due to the initial lack of information and fear.
The recommended term denoting homosexual men is "gay" considering the fact that there is no appropriate equivalent in Croatian. The recommended term denoting homosexual women is the generally accepted term "lesbian".
A sociologist and professor at the Faculty of Political Sciences, Drazen Lalic, said that the glossary was published late because dailies were revealing the names of HIV-infected persons, with the irresponsible conduct of society resulting in the violation of infected persons' rights.
The Zagreb-based "Andrija Stampar" school last year became an educational centre of the World Health Organisation for AIDS experts from Central and East European countries and Central Asia.