Sigh... another innocent child!

When Fuzi first found out she had HIV, she was confident she got infected because she was raped. The double trouble news was devastating. First, knowing the fact that she got pregnant as a result of being raped (her husband had died more than a year before she was raped), and second, that she was infected with the much dreaded HIV. Living in a shame-driven community, she had to endure double the shame – carrying HIV and carrying an illegitimate child.

Anyway, immediately after knowing she was HIV positive, she immediately brought her 4 children for tests. The first 3 children were confirmed negative, while the result for her 4th child, Ijam, was not conclusive. Fuzi was told by the doctor to bring Ijam for another test. Fuzi got worried, because she was still breastfeeding Ijam before she found out about her HIV and 5th pregnancy.

But bringing Ijam to the hospital was not an easy task. The boy was afraid of hospitals… and worse still, of those scary looking needles. Every time Fuzi planned to bring him along to Ipoh for her own appointments, Ijam would make a disappearing act. This went on for a few months until finally the doctor reminded Fuzi to bring Ijam for tests.

So finally, after much coaxing, AND bribery (“if-you-come-with-me-I-buy-you-toy” kind of bribery), Fuzi managed to bring Ijam for another blood test about a month ago. And yesterday the results came. Ijam was confirmed… HIV POSITIVE.

Aaaaargh!!! I can imagine how Fuzi feels right now. She called me this morning to convey the sad news to me.

It is possible that the boy was infected when Fuzi breastfed him. But the chances of infection from mother to child are greater during delivery, and Fuzi did deliver Ijam through normal delivery. The doctor was quite confident that Fuzi was unknowingly infected much earlier, by her late husband. Although the blood tests done during her pregnancy with Ijam showed negative results for HIV, chances were that the tests were done during the window period whereby the virus could not be detected although already there.

After thinking it over, Fuzi remembered that her late husband used to go to Southern Thailand quite frequently after his first wife died, before he married Fuzi. The rapist may not be the HIV culprit after all!

Now Fuzi even has more worries in her mind. The youngest boy, Iwan, has been confirmed negative (all necessary precautions were taken before Iwan was delivered to minimize the chances of infection), but will have to live with a birth certificate which says “Maklumat bapa: Tidak diketahui.” And while Ijam doesn’t have such problem in his birth certificate, he will now have to live with HIV all his life. The news was so devastating I forgot to ask Fuzi if her children’s citizenship problem has been settled.

I’m organizing a Deepa-Raya do for the female PLWHAs and their children this Saturday, and I promised Fuzi she could talk to me then. I know she needs to talk to someone right now.

Oh, poor Ijam!