When Did Stigma Around HIV Come From?
HIV stigmas started around the 80s when the virus caused an epidemic in the US. Misinformation around the virus resulted in common beliefs about those with the condition. Most of these have no scientific evidence but were used to trigger discrimination, stigmas, and prejudice. Over the past decades, our knowledge about HIV/AIDS has been significantly improving. However, misguided beliefs are still causing HIV stigmas and causing many troubles for the condition. To measure the impact of this problem, the People Living with HIV Stigma Index was formed in 2008 with data from more than 100,000 participants in 100 countries. [3]
