The high incidence of HIV, especially in sub-Saharan African countries, and the increase of life expectancy due to effectiveness antiretroviral therapies, have led to an increase of patients undergoing surgery interventions. To date there is still no definitive data on role, outcome and management of HIV positive surgical subjects. This paper reviews the more recent literature about HIV infection, highlighting the main pathologies treated by thoracic, abdominal and orthopedic surgery, without forgetting about other surgery branches. Particular attention was paid to Mozambique, a developing country with one of the highest levels of HIV incidence