Interview 44

She has not told some of her children about her HIV because some are still in Africa and may suffer ill treatment due to stigma. Support groups and prayer give her strength, although she does still get depressed at times. (Video and audio clips read by an actor.)

Age at interview: 50

Age at diagnosis: 42

Sex: Female

Background: A 50 year old woman who came to the UK from Africa over 8 years ago.

Outline:A 50 year old woman who came to the UK from Africa over 8 years ago. She says it is often hard for women to know how they got HIV. Regardless, African women with HIV get labelled as ‘bad’, so it is important for women with HIV to connect and talk. She has not told some of her children about her HIV because some are still in Africa and may suffer ill treatment due to stigma. Support groups and prayer give her strength, although she does still get depressed at times.

(Video and audio clips read by an actor.)

Says the question about how her HIV infection happened is unhelpful and she feels annoyed that…

Age at interview 50

Gender Female

Age at diagnosis 42

Well as I say it’s my husband, maybe he is not the one. I think it is the clinic, maybe it is not the clinic. Or maybe it’s your ex-boyfriend you met before because sometimes it can stay in your system for years without coming out. So it’s very difficult to pinpoint and say it’s this one. And that is the question we always get when we go to some of the GPs, the GPs, the question they ask you, ‘How did you get it? Do you know who gave it to you?’ It’s so annoying, its so annoying. You know, when someone is asking you that silly question ‘How did you get it?’ I went through that a long time ago when I was diagnosed and you know the memories still come back and the wound is open again. It is so awful. And they should understand thatAnd if I knew I was going to get it I think I would have run away from HIV, because I would know that HIV is coming. But I didn’t know. I didn’t buy it!

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