The past five years has seen a surge in American families adopting, or seriously considering adopting, HIV-positive children, The Associated Press reports. Such adoptions now number in the several hundreds, and most involve children from abroad, where they face stigma and even death and where HIV-positive pregnant women are less likely to be taking medications to prevent mother-to-child transmission. Earlier this year, Bethany Christian Services, the largest adoption agency in the United States, unveiled a detailed educational package about HIV adoptions to help the growing number of interested parents make informed decisions. A big challenge for the American families is deciding to whom and when to disclose the child’s HIV status.

To read the AP story, click here.