HIV-positive mothers supported to disclose their status: a potential benefit to their children

Research shows nearly one in four HIV-infected people with children have not had the courage to tell them. Yet, children of HIV-positive parents face significant developmental, health and psychological challenges, particularly in communities where the stigma is high. The HSRC's Dr Tamsen Rochat and a team of researchers from the African Health Research Institute in KwaZulu-Natal led the Amagugu intervention, which successfully increased the levels of disclosure among a group of mothers with young children in KwaZulu-Natal. These findings were published in the medical journal The Lancet HIV in August.