Human immunodeficiency virus infection in children--prevalence and psychosocial impact

As at 20 September 1989, 15 children with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) had been diagnosed in South Africa and indications are that this number is going to increase at a rapid rate in the near future as the disease establishes itself in the heterosexual population. A brief overview of the clinical aspects of human immunodeficiency virus infections in children is given before the psychosocial implications are considered in more detail.