This book is targeted towards caregivers of children under 9 years of age. It provides tools and advice on how to support and deal with the emotional issues children living with HIV/AIDS face.
The disclosure of HIV status to infected children has received relatively little attention to date in sub-Saharan Africa. We conducted 40 semi-structured interviews with healthcare providers working in a large paediatric HIV clinic in Cape Town, South Africa regarding attitudes and experiences around discussing HIV with infected children. Most providers felt that the optimal age for general
discussions about an HIV-infected child’s health should happen around age 6, but that specific discussions regarding HIV infection should be delayed to a median of 10 years. Though most providers said that primary caregivers were the most appropriate individuals to lead disclosure discussions, there were strong views that caregivers require support from healthcare providers. These findings indicate the complexities involved in the disclosure of HIV status to infected children, and point to the need for interventions to support caregivers and providers in disclosure discussions.
This chapter from the Paediatric Hepatitis Report by Parents of Kids with Infectious Disease provides guidelines to parents on how to speak to children about Hepatitis. The guidelines can be easily applied to talking to children about HIV and AIDS and there are references and examples made in the text about HIV and AIDS disclosure. This chapter provides insights on how to create a communication plan from parents and experts working with and caring for children with Hepatitis.
