Disclosure of Hiv status to sexual partners among people who ...

4.2 Self- Disclosure
Among the fourteen participants interviewed individually, only seven had disclosed their
serostatus to the current partner. Of the seven, three disclosed within the same year they
found out about their serostatus (1998 and 2007 respectively) while four took about one
to three years before they disclosed to the current partner (Table 2).
The results show that disclosure to sexual partners was not necessarily related to the time
frame within which the participant found out his/ her serostatus. In fact, the participants
who were among the first in the group to find out about their serostatus in 1990 and 1996
respectively had not yet disclosed to their current partners.
Table 2. Self-disclosure to Current Sexual partner
Year tested Disclosed (Year) Not Disclosed
1990 1
1996 1
1998 2 (1998, 1998)
1999 1 (2002)
2001 1
2002 2 (2003,2004)
2003 1
2007 2 (2007, 2008) 1
2008 2
Total 7 7
4. 2.1 Reasons for taking an HIV test
Most people decide to test for HIV in reaction to triggers such as long illness or persistent
illness episodes.
I had been sick and bedridden for two years and my wife who was very committed
to me, was looking after me. In 1999, a friend came to see me and encouraged me
to go and take an HIV test. [Male, 41 years, married]
I first took an HIV test in 2002. During that time I had frequent fever and really
wanted to know what was happening in my body. [Male, 50 years, married]
37