Blogs
Children living with HIV need honest conversations about their health
Children living with HIV need age-appropriate conversations about their health, treatment and future. Writes Dr Kyomugisha Denise Aman
Dr Kyomugisha Denise Aman. (Courtesy)
By: Admin ., Journalist @New Vision
_______________
OPINION
By Dr Kyomugisha Denise Aman
In 2024, the Uganda AIDS Commission estimated that about 71,000 children aged 0–14 years and 85,000 adolescents aged 10–19 years were living with HIV in Uganda. Many children living with HIV grow up taking medicine every day without fully understanding why they are taking medication daily. As they grow older and begin taking greater responsibility for their health, honest, age-appropriate conversations about HIV become increasingly important.
A younger child may understand health differently from an adolescent. What they are told can therefore grow with them, giving them more information as they become ready to understand their diagnosis and take greater responsibility for their health.
According to a research study conducted at the Joint Clinical Research Centre, some parents or guardians tell children they are taking medicine for malaria, for their blood, asthma or another condition rather than HIV. The reasons are understandable. Parents worry their children will be upset. They fear stigma and what their communities will say. They want to protect them.
But children figure things out. They see their daily pills while their friends take none. They notice clinic visits, month after month, year after year. They pick up words from conversations around them. Adolescents may also start searching for answers on their own.
Children and adolescents may react differently when they learn their HIV status. Some may become withdrawn or angry for a while, while others may feel relieved because the mystery finally makes sense. What is important is that they begin to understand what is happening in their own bodies and why they need ongoing care.
The timing matters. Young children can learn that their medicine helps their bodies stay strong. As they grow, they can learn more, including the name HIV, why medicine must be taken every day and why clinic visits continue. By adolescence, they need a fuller understanding of their health, what their diagnosis means, how treatment works, and what this means for school, friendships, relationships and their future.
Parents do not have to do this alone. Health workers and counsellors providing HIV care can support families as they prepare to tell children about their HIV status. They can help parents understand what their child already knows and explain things in language that matches the child’s age and understanding. Parents who are unsure how to start can ask their health worker for this support.
Where the conversation takes place also matters. A private space with enough time to talk and answer questions is better than trying to explain everything in a rushed moment. Children may also need time to process what they have been told and return with questions later.
But children figure things out. They see their daily pills while their friends take none. They notice clinic visits, month after month, year after year. They pick up words from conversations around them. Adolescents may also start searching for answers on their own.
Children and adolescents may react differently when they learn their HIV status. Some may become withdrawn or angry for a while, while others may feel relieved because the mystery finally makes sense. What is important is that they begin to understand what is happening in their own bodies and why they need ongoing care.
The timing matters. Young children can learn that their medicine helps their bodies stay strong. As they grow, they can learn more, including the name HIV, why medicine must be taken every day and why clinic visits continue. By adolescence, they need a fuller understanding of their health, what their diagnosis means, how treatment works, and what this means for school, friendships, relationships and their future.
Parents do not have to do this alone. Health workers and counsellors providing HIV care can support families as they prepare to tell children about their HIV status. They can help parents understand what their child already knows and explain things in language that matches the child’s age and understanding. Parents who are unsure how to start can ask their health worker for this support.
Where the conversation takes place also matters. A private space with enough time to talk and answer questions is better than trying to explain everything in a rushed moment. Children may also need time to process what they have been told and return with questions later.
Knowing their HIV status does not mean children and adolescents have to tell everyone. They also need guidance about privacy, whom they can trust and where they can seek support.
Children and adolescents deserve truthful information about their health in a way they can understand. This does not mean telling them everything at once. It means helping them understand more as they grow, answering their questions honestly and reassuring them that they can live healthy and fulfilling lives with treatment.
For parents and caregivers who are unsure when or how to begin, a conversation with a health worker or counsellor at the facility where their child receives HIV care can be the first step.
Honest, age-appropriate conversations can help children and adolescents understand their health, take greater responsibility for their care and make informed decisions as they grow.
The writer is and Advanced field epidemiology fellow at the Uganda Public Health Fellowship Program and hosted at the AIDS Control Programme, Ministry of Health.
Children and adolescents deserve truthful information about their health in a way they can understand. This does not mean telling them everything at once. It means helping them understand more as they grow, answering their questions honestly and reassuring them that they can live healthy and fulfilling lives with treatment.
For parents and caregivers who are unsure when or how to begin, a conversation with a health worker or counsellor at the facility where their child receives HIV care can be the first step.
Honest, age-appropriate conversations can help children and adolescents understand their health, take greater responsibility for their care and make informed decisions as they grow.
The writer is and Advanced field epidemiology fellow at the Uganda Public Health Fellowship Program and hosted at the AIDS Control Programme, Ministry of Health.