28 June 2017

A qualitative study of 39 Malawian women who had started antiretroviral treatment during pregnancy or breastfeeding found that 25 of them had dropped out of treatment. Lack of social support after diagnosis and inadequate counselling about HIV treatment and disclosure were identified as key reasons for dropping out of treatment after starting. The study also notes a lack of evidence from the women's perspective on barriers to taking antiretrovirals and ways to overcome them. Particularly, programmes do not incorporate the perspectives of women who have discontinued HIV care. 

Read the full article online here.