Support issues for children and young people

Information about the non-medical issues faced by children and young people and families affected by HIV. Including talking about living with HIV, dealing with stigma, being a carer, finding support and other psychosocial issues.

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  • 'My mother died without telling me I had HIV'

    Some parents in Kenya take the secret of their HIV status to their graves, leaving their children ignorant and unwell.

    04 July 2019 | BBC News

  • How preschools can do more to support children living with HIV

    Thanks to antiretroviral therapy, children living with HIV are likely to live much longer than they would without treatment. They will go to school like other children and develop in much the same way. But how much do their teachers and peers need to know about their HIV-positive status? And what is the best way of managing their particular health needs at preschool level?

    25 June 2019 | The Conversation

  • Talking to Children About Terminal Illness

    New guidelines call for speaking openly with children when they or their parents face life-threatening diseases.

    18 March 2019 | New York Times

  • How would you tell your child they are HIV-positive?

    When having ‘the talk’ is about more than just the ‘birds and bees’.

    30 November 2018 | Health-e

  • Adolescents and HIV: kindness and time key factors for treatment retention

    New research from South Africa provides insights into the factors associated with retention of adolescents in HIV care, suggesting relatively low‐cost interventions could significantly improve adherence and retention in care.

    15 October 2018 | AVERT

  • For Those Born With HIV, Adulthood Is Marked by Successes and Challenges

    Children who are born with HIV typically hit standard adult milestones but often struggle with serious life challenges, such as mental health problems and substance use disorders. Outcomes were similar for HIV-positive individuals and HIV-negative but perinatally exposed individuals.

    22 August 2018 | Poz

  • Telling Children Their HIV Status: Interview With Dr Elizabeth Lowenthal

    To learn more about the challenges associated with disclosure and how clinicians can support families throughout the process, Infectious Disease Advisor spoke with Elizabeth D. Lowenthal, MD, MSCE, assistant professor of pediatrics and epidemiology at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, and research director of the Global Health Research Affinity Group at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

    29 June 2018 | Infectious Disease Advisor

  • How South African teenagers born HIV positive are navigating life in care

    Fifteen years ago drugs were introduced that, for the first time, prevented mothers from transmitting the HIV virus to their babies. The drugs meant that children born to mothers infected with the virus could live long and fruitful lives despite being HIV positive. Since then researchers have studied the health issues facing children living with HIV and there’s a fairly good understanding about the medical challenges they face. But there’s still a lack of knowledge about the social issues these young people have to navigate.

    27 June 2018 | The Conversation

  • Russia Cuts Back HIV Adoption Ban

    A top court has scrapped Russia’s de-facto ban on allowing people who live with HIV to adopt children.

    25 June 2018 | Moscow Times

  • What needs to be done to Fast-Track social protection to end AIDS?

    In 2016, Member States agreed a set of targets at the United Nations High-Level Meeting on Ending AIDS to be met to put the world on course to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030. One of those targets was to strengthen national social and child protection systems to ensure that, by 2020, 75% of people living with, at risk of or affected by HIV benefit from HIV-sensitive social protection.

    09 May 2018 | UNAIDS
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See also

Community Consensus Statement on Access to HIV Treatment and its Use for Prevention

Together, we can make it happen

We can end HIV soon if people have equal access to HIV drugs as treatment and as PrEP, and have free choice over whether to take them.

Launched today, the Community Consensus Statement is a basic set of principles aimed at making sure that happens.

The Community Consensus Statement is a joint initiative of AVAC, EATG, MSMGF, GNP+, HIV i-Base, the International HIV/AIDS Alliance, ITPC and NAM/aidsmap
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This content was checked for accuracy at the time it was written. It may have been superseded by more recent developments. NAM recommends checking whether this is the most current information when making decisions that may affect your health.

NAM’s information is intended to support, rather than replace, consultation with a healthcare professional. Talk to your doctor or another member of your healthcare team for advice tailored to your situation.