Last Friday was World AIDS Day, and the month of December is World AIDS Awareness Month. Between all the holiday festivities at the end of the year and the general stigma around AIDS, this awareness month tends to get swept under the rug. 

HIV is an immunodeficiency virus. AIDS, also called acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, is the most advanced stage of HIV, which destroys cells that fight diseases or infections. There are also a lot of social stigmas around AIDS/HIV since it can be transmitted sexually and through shared needles or syringes.Â