HIV-related stigma is regarded as one of the major barriers in the development of effective prevention and care programs; but the stigma associated with HIV stigma is not a singular entity. The stigma of the infection is layered with other stigmas, such as those associated with the routes of transmission (e.g., sex work and injecting drug use) and personal characteristics (e.g., race, religion, ethnicity and gender). In developing programs and policies to overcome HIV-related stigma, cognisance needs to be taken of all the sources of stigma, and how they may interact. A novel method is described for examining the layers of HIV/AIDS-related stigma, and secondary data are adapted to illustrate this. The importance of understanding the layering of stigma for the development of effective interventions is also discussed.
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