social context of disclosing hiv test results: hiv testing in tanzania

ARVs has brought hope for patients and families. Our conversations left the impression
that people now discuss HIV/AIDS and the availability of ARVs more openly than they
did 10 years ago.
Most respondents indicated that their sexual practices and relationships changed
after taking the test and disclosing their results to their sexual partners. Sixteen
respondents said they have stopped practicing sex altogether, and six respondents stated
that they practiced safer sex. Three said they no longer had multiple sex partners. Few
respondents said that their sexual relations have continued unchanged after learning of
and disclosing their results. Further conversations with such people showed that their
sexual partners are also positive, and therefore they do not see the rationale of using
condoms when both are in the same situation. Two respondents confirmed that they
continued to practice unprotected sex. This calls into question the hope of public health
specialists who hold that learning one’s serostatus can by itself make people practice safe
sex and therefore control further HIV transmission. These findings also mean that the
counsellors need to continue working hard to help individuals with sexual partners who
are also positive to understand the dangers of having unprotected sex.
In addition to the ones mentioned, two respondents decided to encourage their
sexual partners and other close relatives and friends to go and take an HIV test so that
they may also learn their serostatus. A 40-year-old man from Iringa explained how he
was expecting to disclose his results:
Eeh, I knew that my family will not have a problem knowing that I am
positive but I was concerned with the reaction from my wife, I think, I
should bring her for counselling and testing here instead of telling her at
home, probably she might be confused.
In the same context, one respondent confirmed that he now speaks more openly
about HIV/AIDS than he did before taking the test. Very few respondents declared their
status publicly. However, one respondent, a 30-year-old male living with HIV/AIDS, said
the following when he was explaining why and how he declared his status to the village
and village leaders:
I told all of my relatives. Even my community at home knows my status
because I have already declared myself; I have declared through a
newspaper… it has helped me, because when the community knows the
situation there are many benefits. For example, my village knows that I
live with HIV/AIDS, and has therefore exempted me from paying any
financial contributions for development purposes.
Some individuals have disclosed to those who support them to ensure that the
support they will receive will include, for example, nursing care. Married couples
disclosed to their spouses more frequently than they disclosed to others, and more often
than single people disclosed their results to their sexual partners. The majority of these
married people took the initiative to practice safe sex, such as using the condom or
encouraging their spouses to go for the test as well. The study has also indicated,
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