A World Aids Day event in Kolkata in 2022. Across India, community activists battle to counter deep stigma and provide support to those who are HIV-positive, including through the prevention of mother-to-child transmission. Photo: ZUMA / IMAGO
Politics
Stigma still keeps mothers and children with HIV in India from accessing treatment
Despite strides made in reducing HIV prevalence and stigma, many mothers still hide their HIV-positive status from their families – with serious consequences for their children as well
WHEN A 14-YEAR-OLD from Uttar Pradesh developed a rash that spread all over her body, her grandparents initially thought it was an allergic reaction. When it did not subside, they took her to a spiritual guru who they hoped would cure her by warding off a supposed curse.
None of them had any idea that the 14-year-old was HIV-positive. She had contracted the virus from her 38-year-old mother, who was unaware of her positive status at the time her daughter was conceived. “I was devastated,” said the mother, who believes she was infected by her husband, a contract worker based in Africa. “I could never gather the courage to tell my daughter that, because of my ignorance, she is suffering.”