Sesame Street to introduce HIV positive character

The South African version of Sesame Street is to introduce an HIV-positive puppet.

The character hasn't been named or designed yet.

But the puppet is expected to be a five-year-old female "monster Muppet" like Grover or Elmo.

The show's bosses are considering whether to include the new character in the US version of the show.

Joel Schneider, vice president of Sesame Workshop, which is based in New York, said the new puppet will make her debut during the autumn.

Speaking at the 14th International AIDS Conference in Barcelona, Schneider said: "We know that she'll be lively, alert, friendly, outgoing and HIV-positive. She'll be healthy, not sickly."

The aim is to help "de-stigmatise" the virus among viewers of the programme, reports the Washington Post.

"We want to show children that it's okay to touch an HIV-positive person, okay to hug, that a person can still be a constructive part of the community."

The story about how the character contracted HIV is still under discussion, but it's likely to involve a story line about a blood transfusion or transmission through childbirth, Schneider said.