This review article summarizes the current knowledge about children born or living in families affected by HIV, a topic of recent interest in the HIV field. It also presents a case study of a child's narrative about the implications of living with a HIV parent. The case study is part of a larger study involving both parents and children living with HIV in Bangladesh. The paper discusses the implications of HIV for children, their families, and social services to gain a better understanding of some of the social issues, such as stigma, associated with this illness. The paper recommends that the development of effective social and service interventions using appropriate language, information, and access to social support services are urgently needed to reduce the concerns and increase the life opportunities of children living in HIV families.

Human breast milk is an ideal food for health and nutrition of infants and children. It plays a pivotal role in determining growth and development of infants and children. Breastfeeding itself is a biological process which builds up emotional bondage between the mother and her child. It is the cheapest way of feeding the child and protecting her from infections. It has been considered as synonymous with the nourishment and well-being of infants since it's born. Breastfeeding is also an important determinant of birth spacing which serves as a way to check the rate of population growth especially in a densely populated country (Ahmed, 1997; Miller et al., 1992). Since the beginning of human history breastfeeding has come to play a key role in regulating fertility as contraceptive. Demographers have shown that the interval between successive births is a principal determinant of marital fertility and in populations without access to modem forms of contraception this birth interval was largely determined by the duration of breastfeeding. In traditional societies, extended breastfeeding serves as a natural contraceptive and helps families space their children by delaying ovulation. It is known that a decline in breastfeeding leads to shorter birth intervals and more pregnancies. Breastfeeding increases the length of post-partum amenorrhea which ultimately resulting in a low birth rate (Bongaarts and Potter, 1983; Bongaarts, 1979).

With much of the focus on the "risk" groups, families have often been less studied in HIV research. Further, because of a focus on the aetiology and epidemiology of HIV, the social impacts associated with HIV on families and neighbours are sometimes overlooked. This study examined parental experiences of stigma and discrimination while living with HIV within a family context in Bangladesh. A qualitative research design using a grounded theory approach was used for this research. Data was collected through in-depth interviews with 19 HIV-positive parents, recruited with the support of two self-help groups of HIV-positive people, in two settings namely Khulna and Dhaka in Bangladesh. The findings indicate that HIV-positive parents held the view that they continue to experience significant stigma and their narratives clearly show how this affected them and their children. A range of informal practices were enacted in everyday contexts by extended family and community members to identify, demarcate and limit the social interaction of HIV-positive parents. Parents highlighted a number of factors including negative thoughts and behaviours, rejection, isolation and derogatory remarks as manifestations of stigma and discrimination, impacting upon them and their children because of their association with HIV.

Bangladesh is one of the few countries in the world where male and female have nearly the same life expectancy at birth. But the circumstance was different until 2002, when female life expectancey (sic) exceeds the male life expectancy for the first time in Bangladesh. The fact that the typical female advantage in life expectancy is not observed in Bangladesh due to systematic problems with women's and child health. The health of women and children is a matter of great concern in Bangladesh. They are relatively disadvantaged in terms of various indicators of health in Bangladesh. Since independence the government of Bangladesh has made considerable efforts in providing health services, especially to mothers and children to improve the overall health situation in Bangladesh. Successive governments particularly in the 1990s, have prioritised and allocated resources to the education and health sectors. These resources have made a positive contribution to improving health. The allocations for health have also been increased from 3 percent in the First Five Year Plan (1973-1978) to 10 percent in the latest Five Year Plan (1997-2002) (GoB, 2001). With a view to reducing the maternal and child mortality and morbidity, comprehensive program efforts have been made over the past years through increasing access to health care services under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW). Maternal and Child Welfare Centres (MCWCs) have been established to provide maternal services at districts level. Integrated Management of Childhood illness (IMCI) has also been established to improve child survival in Bangladesh (Hossain, 2003; DGHS, 2000).

We have limited knowledge about the vulnerabilities faced by HIV-positive parents in families and the strategies they use to manage these circumstances in Bangladesh. A qualitative research design was used to analyse in-depth interviews with 19 HIV-positive parents who lived with their children in Khulna and Dhaka, Bangladesh. The findings indicate that resilience of HIV-positive parents was fostered through interaction with informal and formal social networks. The findings of this study demonstrate that social support groups can play a crucial role to construct new ways of coping and reintegrate HIV people into their families and society.