At a glance
Gugu was diagnosed with HIV and was connected to care at a CDC-supported clinic. With continuous antiretroviral treatment from a CDC-supported clinic, Gugu enjoys a happy childhood and can look forward to a healthy life.
Gugu's Story
Photo by: Thom Pierce 2018
Eleven-year-old Gugulethu (Gugu), lives high in the mountains of rural Kwazulu-Natal. This is a region with the highest prevalence of HIV in a country with one of the highest rates of HIV globally. One day, while playing with her little brother on the rocky hills around her home she fell and hurt her knee. But this was no normal bruise. For weeks, her wound remained unhealed. Her mother decided to take her to the local clinic to tend to it. Once there, she and her mom learned why the wound had not yet healed. Young Gugu was living with a potentially deadly infectious disease—HIV. She had contracted it at birth. At the time, treatment for mothers with HIV in South Africa was less accessible. But at the CDC-supported clinic, Gugu and her mom learned that there was hope. She was started immediately on HIV antiretroviral treatment. Gugu was told that if she took the treatment consistently and correctly, she could remain well and live a long and healthy life.
Today, Gugu is strong and full of energy. She still enjoys running up and down the hillsides in her neighborhood, watching over her little brother with a gentle protectiveness. Her laughter is infectious—like a child without a care in the world.
- *Gugu is the shortened form of Guguluthu