People living with HIV and AIDS are often subjected to stigma and discrimination in all spheres of their lives, at home, at work and in the communities they live. This presents a serious barrier in dealing effectively with the epidemic and it hampers efforts being made to the response to the HIV and AIDS epidemic. 

The media have also been largely accused of stigmatising people living with HIV and AIDS by using inappropriate and insensitive terminology in their reportage.
What is stigma and discrimination?
Stigma can be described as an attribute or quality which significantly ‘discredits’ an individual in the eyes of others. It can be seen as negative thoughts or prejudices about people from particular groups or with certain characteristics.
Being HIV positive is often viewed negatively and such attitudes may be damaging to those living with the virus or those suspected of being infected.
Discrimination is a form of behaviour which results in unequal or unjustifiable treatment. (Siyam’kela HIV and AIDS Resource Pack).
Types of stigma
Stigma can be experienced internally (self stigma) or externally (discrimination). Internal stigma can lead to a person’s unwillingness to seek help or access resources. It can lead a person to having a self low esteem about oneself and fear to disclose one’s status. External stigma can lead to discrimination based on one’s perceived or actual HIV-positive status or on one’s association with someone else with a perceived or actual HIV-positive status.
Effects of stigma and discrimination
Stigma towards HIV and people living with it or affected by it has many roots. This is largely because of the perceived association between HIV infection and being  immoral and careless, among other things. 
There are several detrimental effects of stigma on individuals and the community which include:
• Emotional stress and anxiety, depression, attempted suicide, isolation;
• Problems in family relationships and friendships;
• Increased inequities between those who are affected and those who are not;
• Increased disability;
• Failure to disclose after diagnosis, leading to stress and anxiety;
• Participation restrictions (e.g., loss of job, economic dependency, inability to marry, lack of access to loans and credit) that may affect entire families and, in high prevalence areas, entire villages
• Isolation;
• Lack of motivation to continue treatment
Due to the stress and trauma that individuals suffer as a result of stigma, their health often suffers. They also wait too long to access health care facilities, impacting negatively on both the individuals’ health and the community as a whole.
Causes of stigma
The origins of stigma lie in the shame, fear and silence that shape negative perceptions of people living with HIV and of the behaviours thought to be associated with HIV transmission. Some of the major causes of stigma include incomplete knowledge, fear of death and disease, sexual norms and a lack of recognition of stigma.
Another major cause is the knowledge that HIV can be transmitted sexually which immediately conjures up scenarios of immoral behaviour resulting in PLWHA being further stigmatised.
Strategies to counter stigma and discrimination

• Decreasing myths and misconceptions about HIV and AIDS and fighting ignorance

There is a continued need to let people know the basic facts about HIV and AIDS transmission, non-transmission, prevention and care. Ignorance of the facts
leads to fear, which, in turn, adds to stigma and discrimination. General public information on how HIV is, and is not, transmitted and effective prevention methods is essential to decrease misconceptions.

• Encouraging people infected with HIV to tell their story

People living with, and affected by, HIV and AIDS bear the brunt of stigma and discrimination continually throughout their lives. Providing a platform for people to share their experiences humanises and normalises the disease. Documenting acts of stigma and discrimination makes HIV and AIDS issues become a reality to people.

Using Language that does not communicate stigma
The media have been accused of stigmatising people living with HIV by use of words and terminologies that are stigmatising. This has been done through errors of commission or omission. Ethical reporting of HIV and AIDS requires that the media use non-stigmatising language in its reportage.
For more information on HIV and AIDS terminology, refer to : http://data.unaids.org/pub/Manual/2007/20070328_unaids_terminology_guide_en.pdf
Sources
1) http://www.unaids.org/en/PolicyAndPractice/StigmaDiscrim/default.asp
2) http://www.popcouncil.org/hivaids/stigma.html
3) http://www.searo.who.int/LinkFiles/World_AIDS_Day_9.pdf
4)http://data.unaids.org/pub/Manual/2007/20070328_unaids_terminology_guide_en.pdf
5) Siyam’kela HIV and AIDS Resource Pack