Knowledge, prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS have advanced steadily since the beginning of the epidemic. With improved treatment the physical manifestation of HIV decreased along with the need for public demonstrations of support. However, social acceptance and stigma have remained steady due to lack of education and understanding.

Those living with HIV/AIDS are particularly vulnerable to stigmatization because of four factors:

1. The person with the disease is perceived as responsible for having it
2. The disease is viewed as fatal or degenerative
3. The condition is viewed as contagious or likely to result in the infection of others
4. The condition produces physical changes that are visible to others

"There are many reasons why HIV/AIDS is so highly stigmatized. It is a disease that is commonly transmitted through sex or drug use - behaviors that society often demonizes. HIV is also a debilitating disease, with highly visibly symptoms that can make people uncomfortable. More over, HIV is infectious, and even those who are educated about HIV transmission may harbor irrational fears of contagion. Finally, HIV is often viewed as a disease of "the other", which enables a large part of society to believe "HIV/AIDS is not about me." At the onset of the epidemic in the United States, for example, "the other" was the gay man or the injection drug user. Exacerbating HIV/AIDS stigma is a growing sense of anger and resentment toward people living with HIV/AIDS, both in the United States and around the world. People living with HIV/AIDS may be perceived as somehow privileged by their serostatus because it gives them greater access to subsidized health care. This resentment stems from a concern that people living with HIV in this country receive care through programs like Medicaid or the Ryan White CARE Act - while HIV negative, poor and uninsured people are left to fend for themselves."

- Terje Anderson, Stigma Mitigation Components in HIV/AIDS Programs