Stigma is prejudice and discrimination against a perceivable disgraceful quality, circumstance, or person. In this case, it’s essentially being serophobic. Serophobia is the fear of those living with HIV, moreso a fear that one will become infected with the virus if they come in contact with an HIV-positive individual. Stigma and serophobia feed off of one another and deter people from becoming knowledgeable about the disease.