Table 2.

Summary characteristics of three case study respondents

Characteristics	Case study
Sexually abstinent	Malaika, female, 29 years, widowed, known HIV status for 3 years. After her husband's death in 2003, she was briefly ‘inherited’ by her brother-in-law. This is a traditional practice involving a widow becoming the de facto sexual partner of her dead husband's brother
Sexually active, monogamous relationship, consistent use of condoms and/or contraception	Safari, female, 34 years, currently cohabiting, known HIV status for 15 years
Sexually active, multiple partners, inconsistent use of condoms and/or contraception	Jambo, male, 55 years, widower, known HIV status for 9 years