[HIV-positive refugee from Africa with low compliance. Interview about reasons for treatment failure]

Strict compliance is required for a sustained response to antiretroviral therapy for HIV. Several studies from the US have found that African-Americans are less compliant and are more liable to treatment failure than caucasians. We describe a young, male refugee from Africa with treatment failure after non-compliance. A qualitative interview shows that his main reason for non-compliance is fear of disclosure and stigmatization. There seems to be a need for research into the reasons for non-compliance among vulnerable groups and targeted interventions.