Early HIV Diagnosis — Sneha was diagnosed with HIV at age 12, likely from an infected injection during childhood treatment; no other family members are positive.

Persistent Stigma — Despite legal protections, HIV-related stigma and discrimination continue in healthcare and society, leading to fear of disclosure and self-stigma.

Community Support Works — Peer-led initiatives and Adolescent Friendly Health Clinics helped achieve 92% viral suppression among supported adolescents, highlighting the value of consistent care and advocacy.

To this day 23 years-old Sneha (name changed to respect confidentiality) does not know with certainty how she got infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). No one else in her family carries the virus. The only plausible explanation she offers is that she got it through an infected injection needle in some healthcare setting.

Since her infancy Sneha had a hole in her left eardrum which would discharge pus. So she was put on medication for a long time which included injectables. Eventually she had to undergo an ear surgery in 2015 when she was 12 years old.

During the general investigations and tests done prior to the surgery, she was found to be HIV positive.

Sneha was in a state of shock.

“My mother refused to believe the test results and she got my test done again in three different laboratories. But every time the result was the same. My mother and elder brother also got tested and both were HIV negative. And we strongly believe that my deceased father was negative as he had undergone multiple heart surgeries and all general investigations were done then, with no sign of HIV,” shared Sneha with CNS ahead of world’s largest AIDS conference later this month (26th International AIDS Conference or AIDS 2026 on the theme: #RethinkRebuildRise).

Diagnosed with HIV at 12 years of age

Thus at the tender age of 12, Sneha was diagnosed with HIV. She was directed to government-run Niloufer Hospital in Hyderabad which has a prominent, designated paediatric ART Centre for HIV management in children and adolescents.

A year later Sneha got registered for her medical check-ups at Blue Peter Public Health and Research Centre (BPHRC) of LEPRA Society which also focuses on comprehensive HIV care, support, prevention, and treatment. Through BPHRC she came in contact with Cheyutha (Cheyutha is a Telugu language word meaning ‘helping hand’). Cheyutha is a women’s community initiative to empower women living with HIV, through mutual support and collective action. The organisation was started in 2005 by an HIV survivor Laxmi Priya Kagitha, with support from the LEPRA Society in Hyderabad. To date, Cheyutha’s Board of........

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