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This study explored the experiences of the first generation of adolescents who acquired HIV through vertical transmission when disclosing their diagnosis to friends and romantic partners. The study sample was selected by convenience, with 20 patients (13–20 years old) participating in a qualitative investigation using individual interviews (language: Portuguese; duration: 45 minutes). The participants were followed in specialized clinics for the treatment of pediatric AIDS in São Paulo, Brazil. The results suggest that families who live with HIV tend to keep it a secret, and such behavior is learned and accepted unquestioningly as natural. Respect for privacy and the fear of rejection, coupled with the belief that information about their disease will be spread, are the main beliefs with which participants justify their secrecy. In terms of romantic relationships, adolescents were aware that their HIV status should at some point be shared with current or future sexual partners. However, the decision to reveal an HIV diagnosis in romantic relationships is permeated by anxieties, uncertainties about the right time, and fear of abandonment. In any case, telling the truth requires trust, guarantees of the other’s love, and, in some cases, probing romantic partners beforehand to learn their perceptions about the disease. Participants who had experiences disclosing their HIV status shared positive and negative results, including emotional support, acceptance, and understanding, along with ostracism, discrimination, and abandonment by family members. The findings of this paper reinforce the challenges of revealing an HIV diagnosis to third parties. It requires understanding the meaning and importance of the secret for each patient, along with the conflict between the right to confidentiality and the responsibility of treating others exposed to the disease. All these aspects should be discussed extensively with this population and incorporated into clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

HIV-infected children usually live in vulnerable situations, experiencing discrimination and stigma commonly felt by other people living with HIV/AIDS. The present study aims to analyse primary socialisation of HIV-infected children and adolescents recruited from a public health service in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) as a social process that shapes a new generation of stigmatised and vulnerable persons. Research was informed by an interactionist perspective, focusing on key aspects of HIV-infected children and adolescents life histories under the conceptual frame of Erving Goffman's theories regarding “moral careers”. Goffman defines the making of a moral career as the process through which a person learns that she/he possesses a particular attribute, which may lead her/him to be discredited by members of the surrounding society. We have identified aspects of life histories of HIV-vertically infected children and adolescents for each aspect of “moral career” as described by Goffman, relating them to as family structure, the experience of living HIV within the family, and the position and family role of a given subject. The patterns of “moral career” proposed by Goffman in 1963 were useful in identifying components of HIV-related stigma among children and adolescents. These include gender and social disadvantages, difficulty in coping with a child with a potentially severe disease, orphanhood, abandonment, adoption and disclosure of one's HIV serostatus. Primary socialisation of HIV-infected children and adolescents is a key piece of the complex HIV/AIDS-labelling process that could be targeted by interventions aiming to decrease stigma and marginalisation. Health care workers and stakeholders should be committed to ensuring education and guaranteeing the legal rights of this specific population, including the continuous provision of quality health care, full access to school and support to full disclosure of HIV diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pregnant women have a significantly higher risk of HIV acquisition during gestation than their non-pregnant counterparts due to behavioral and biological factors. Acute seroconversion during gestation results in increased HIV mother-to-child transmission rates and has been identified as a major public health challenge. In order to address potential HIV seroconversion in our pregnant patients, we conducted a prospective cohort study to evaluate the acceptability of offering HIV testing to sexual partners of HIV-negative pregnant women receiving antenatal care at two hospitals in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Over a 14-month study period, HIV-negative pregnant women at two hospital-based clinic sites were encouraged to bring their stable sexual partner for HIV voluntary counseling and testing during prenatal care. Women were re-interviewed following delivery to measure success of the intervention. Of the 1223 HIV-negative pregnant women enrolled in the study, 663 (54%) of their male sexual partners received HIV testing during antenatal care and 4 (0.6%) were diagnosed with HIV infection. A total of 645 women were interviewed at the time of delivery, with 620 (97%) confirming that HIV testing was suggested to their partner. The most common reason provided by women as to why partners did not come for testing was work (69%) and lack of perceived risk (14%). Independent predictors of successful partner testing included being white (odds ratio [OR] 1.59, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.18–2.12), married (OR 1.78, 95% CI 1.08–2.94), having an older age of sexual debut (OR 0.94, 95% CI 0.9–0.98), and being recruited at Hospital Conceiçao (OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.52–2.88). We conclude that HIV partner testing during prenatal care is acceptable, rendering this intervention attractive to public health programs targeting prevention of sexually transmitted infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The absence of or limited adherence to treatment is the main cause for the failure of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART). In Brazil, adherence to antiretroviral therapy has been lower than the recommended levels. Although HAART may produce adverse reactions, failure to comply with it may aggravate patients' health status and impair Quality of Life (QoL). The QoL of individuals living chronically with HIV and AIDS has been considered one of the main treatment outcomes. This study is part of a 225-day prospective trial in which participants were enrolled in two different modalities of follow-up: the usual model medical follow-up or an intervention based on the Medication Adherence Training Instrument (MATI). The WHOQOL-HIV BREF questionnaire was used to evaluate QoL of research participants in both groups on the 15th and 225th days of follow-up after the baseline assessment. The result of this study revealed no significant differences of WHOQOL-HIV BREF scores between participants allocated to MATI and non-MATI groups in the first assessment. However, there was a significant difference between the scores obtained on the 15th and 225th days in the domain related to spirituality and personal beliefs irrespective of the modality of follow-up. Other domains of the WHOQOL-HOV BREF remained unchanged. These results indicate that, in this sample, personal beliefs and spirituality may be relevant subjects to explain sustained levels of adherence to HAART. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Travestisare highly vulnerable to HIV infection in Brazil. We conducted a survey among 304 travestis using Respondent-Driven Sampling from August to December 2008. Travestis are young (49% <24 years), poorly educated (55% just elementary school), low social class (62% Class C-E), reside with families (49%) or friends/madam (22%), are victims of homophobia (91%) and violence (61%). They report early sexual debut (75% <14), many sexual partners, drug use during sex (43%), and unprotected sex (male partner, 47%, both male and female partners, 50%). Sex work is common (82%, 59% >10 partners last six months) and relatively low cost (median=US$24). A majority report testing for HIV (69%), and report high prevalence (12% disclosed a positive result). Almost all the respondents refused to test in the study. Interventions, targeted to both travestis and to the general community about sexual discrimination, are necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Perinatal HIV prevention has been successful in developing countries but disparities in success between rich countries and poor countries have also been observed. Access to prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) remains a challenge in many developing countries. In 2007, the Ministry of Health launched the Plan to Reduce the Vertical Transmission of HIV and Syphilis in Brazil to address this need. A cross-sectional study of children living in families affected by HIV was conducted in Ceara State, Northeast Brazil between June 2008 and January 2009 to explore socioeconomic effects of HIV status. Proportion of children with an HIV-positive test was calculated and stratified by age to estimate the impact of PMTCT programs. Chi-square test was employed to compare those proportions. Stata™10.0 software was used for the calculation. We interviewed 437 adults who were visiting the hospital for a consultation or to pickup medication who also had a child less than 13 years of age living with them. They also provided information about other household members (n=1789). Our study showed that children infected with HIV or who live in a household with one or both parents infected with HIV or dead from AIDS live in families of low social class and educational achievement. Seroprevalence is not lower in the cohort of those children 0-2 as compared to 3-4 and 5-12 years of age. Even in Brazil, with its successful PMTCT program overall, there are great disparities among sites. Data from the sites reported here are equivalent to many poor areas in sub-Saharan Africa. This argues that global concern for targeting areas most affected by the epidemic must consider areas within some of the most prosperous countries in the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]