Conditions such as pneumonia and Kaposi's sarcoma, which were diagnosed in 1981 in 5 and 26 homosexual men, respectively, produced the first evidence related to HIV, establishing the sexual practices of this population group as the first risk factor for contracting the virus.  New York disease (1,2). However, with the advance of the epidemic, the transmission dynamics also changed, increasing significantly in the heterosexual population. In fact, by 1987 65% of the cases were within the homosexual population and by 2002 it decreased to 28%. On the other hand, intravenous drug users are one of the groups most at risk of contracting HIV due to the practice of needle exchange. In this regard, a study by the United Nations Organization for HIV / AIDS (UNAIDS) estimates that there are 15.9 million people who inject drugs, of which about 3 million may be living with HIV. Additionally, the investigations coincide in describing that, in addition to the previously mentioned practices, perinatal transmission, blood transfusion and biological occupational accident as the 5 main forms of HIV transmission. In any case, regardless of the scientific evidence, the statistics related to discriminatory behavior against HIV affected even exceed 80% in some areas of the world (ONUAIDS, 2020). 

The HIV epidemic evolution has been more prevalent within some specific population groups. Consequently, today it is easy to find that, wrongly, ordinary people consider this virus as a problem that exclusively affects this kind of population. At the same time, it seems that the UNAIDS Global AIDS Monitoring reports (2021) reaffirm this belief because the indicators related to the virus prevalence among key groups are focused on cases about sex workers, homosexuals, transgender people, drug addicts and prisoners. However, the simple explanation for this phenomenon is that these populations are the ones with the highest percentage of identified positive diagnoses and defined antiretroviral treatments. On the other hand, people who are not involved in practices that may increase their contagion risk, are not considered as a priority or there is no medical routine to check-ups or tests to detect the disease. In contrast, this explains why, according to the same report, the death rate from HIV is higher in people who are not within a "clearly identified" population. On the sidelines from the statistics, there is an urgent need for education about it, which allows people to understand that they are not unconnected to the risks, but on the contrary, not being aware of their condition generates a very negative impact on the spread of the epidemic. 

HIV stigma and discrimination affect the emotional well-being and mental health of people living with this virus. Because of the stigmatization and internalization of this phenomenon, it is common to find in people infected with this virus that they create a negative image of themselves. Specifically, “stigma internalization” or “self-stigmatization” occurs when a person assimilates the negative ideas that others have about it or when they value stereotypes and from there on, begin to apply them to themselves. The internalized stigma of HIV can produce feelings such as shame, fear, isolation or despair. These feelings can lead an infected person to make the decision not to start or continue adequate treatment since they assume that not getting fully involved in the problem can help them to normalize their condition and lead an apparently "normal" life.