Closing the gap: care is a form of prevention.

Some have argued that care for people infected with HIV (PHIV) does not help reduce the incidence of HIV. However as the number of infections increase it is clear that care and prevention are indivisible. The authors reviewed the research literature for evidence demonstrating that care is a form of prevention with the purpose of formulating a research agenda. It can be argued that since PHIV have the greatest potential to spread infection they are better targets for prevention interventions; care leads to less risk taking by PHIV; in keeping with the need for compassion towards and acceptance of PHIV stressed in prevention messages societies have a moral obligation to provide care; knowing someone infected with HIV/AIDS has a strong preventative effect but when care and support are weak people tend to not reveal their HIV status; care and support for PHIV contribute to the economic viability of families and communities since it enables those infected to remain productive for as long as possible; and service integration is more cost-effective. Some key research questions and designs are listed.