My mum had HIV and we never even spoke about it – a silence born of stigma

Testing and treatment are the outward signs of HIV diagnosis, but the mental impact is too often ignored – as health journalist Charles Pensulo, whose mother died after contracting HIV, knows from bitter personal experience

For years I’ve been reporting on the stories of people affected by and living with HIV. But I’ve never before written about my own story – or rather the story of my mother.

And then recently one of my friends finally revealed to me, after three years of friendship, that he and his family had also been dealing with HIV. It felt like a blow, as I truly perceived the extent to which HIV and Aids have affected families and communities psychologically in sub-Saharan Africa. We have been silent and kept secrets from each other for far too long. We can no longer talk about progress and the future without first opening up and discussing the past.

Related: Pregnant and diagnosed with HIV: the group providing support for mothers

I've met scores of people with HIV who are bold enough to talk about their feelings and the challenges they go through

Continue reading... December 01, 2017 at 05:30PM