Assessing Knowledge On The Importance Of Disclosure To Adherence In Caregivers Of HIV Infected Children On Highly Active Antiretro-Viral Therapy (HAART)

Disclosure generally is telling an individual about his/her HIV status and it could involve indirectly telling the caregivers status as well. Adherence and disclosure are key ingredients in pediatric HIV/AIDS care and management. Disclosure of HIV status to children is essential for disease management but is not well characterized in resource-limited settings. This study aimed at assessing the knowledge on the importance of disclosure to adherence in caregivers of HIV infected children. A cross-sectional study was done, with HIV-infected children aged six to fourteen years randomly selected. Semi-structured questionnaires were administered to 37 caregivers of HIV infected children; evaluating their adherence to highly active antiretroviral therapy at these levels: pre, during and post-disclosure; how disclosure affects adherence, the barriers to disclosure, benefits of disclosure to adherence and other factors which could affect adherence to antiretroviral. Data analysis indicated that disclosure had great impact on HIV-infected children’s adherence to anti retroviral therapy. Thus, knowledge on adherence and disclosure itself is one of the key factors in pediatric HIV/AIDS management and care and if looked into and implemented in our nation Cameroon will greatly improve the treatment outcome of children living with HIV and their families. Further studies are recommended on a larger sample size to comprehend and establish a standard in our nation Cameroon.