Standing on the threshold of her unfinished house, 32-year-old NguyenThi Luong lit up with joy thinking about her coming baby.
Three years ago, the thin woman from northern Thai Nguyen province'sDai Tu district never thought she would be so happy. That year, Luonglost her husband and first child to HIV/AIDS and found out she wasinfected with the virus too.
But with the supportof her friends and continued counseling, as well as the help of thelocal branch of Hoa Huong Duong (Sun Flower) Club, an organisation thatprovides care and support to people living with HIV/AIDS, Luongeventually gained back her sense of self.
When shejoined the club of 100 HIV-infected members - 83 of whom were women -Luong found that having HIV does not mean her life is over. Throughmonthly discussions, Luong learned about how to deal with her condition.However, the club sessions did not address her primary longing: a baby.
Last year, after much counseling, Luong and her newpartner decided to go through with a pregnancy. "Nobody supports ourdecision. Neighbours and relatives, even my sister, believed that I willtransmit the deadly virus to my baby and it will be a burden to societyafter I die," she said.
However, Luong is now fourmonths pregnant and receiving antiretroviral therapy (ARV). She stronglybelieves that her baby will be born without the virus. "My partner and Iare building our house and preparing everything to welcome our baby,"Luong said.
Another woman from Ha Thuong commune,33-year-old Tran Thi Thu, has the same desire as Luong but failed twiceto become a mother. Her five-year-old daughter died of the disease fiveyears ago; her son followed, only one hour after coming into the world.
"I participate in several projects for HIV, whichmakes me busy the whole day. But after work, I'm a lonely woman in thecold house where I so long to have a child," Thu said.
She expressed determination to try to have another baby next year."Even living with HIV, a woman still deserves to have her own baby," Thusaid. "As long as you are optimistic, I strongly believe that God willnot let you down whether you are a healthy person or an HIV sufferer."
Luong and Thu's desire to have a baby is common amongHIV-infected women in the district, according to Dinh Thi Xuan, head ofHoa Huong Duong club. "All female HIV carriers in the club talk abouttheir burning desire to have children," she said.
Xuan added that three members of the club have children who testednegative for HIV. This encouraged other women not to give up hope ofhaving healthy children. "I will also have a baby when my financialstate is better," Xuan confided.
Without preventiveintervention, between 20 and 45 percent of infants born to HIV-positivemothers contract HIV through mother-to-child transmission duringpregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding, according to the World HealthOrganisation (WHO). The proportion can be reduced to less than 10percent through a combination of prevention measures, includingantiretroviral therapy (ART) for the expectant mother and her newbornchild, hygienic delivery conditions and safe infant feeding.
Thai Nguyen ranks fourth out of ten provinces nationwide with thehighest number of HIV cases, according to the provincial department ofhealth. Over 9,000 HIV cases have been reported throughout the province,19 percent of them women.
The risk ofmother-to-child transmission reported in the province last year was 6percent, said vice director of the province's HIV/AIDS Prevention andControl Centre Truong Binh Minh.
"Motherhood isstipulated to be the legal right of women following the VietnamPopulation Ordinance so nobody can prevent HIV-positive women fromhaving children," he said.
However, Minh recommendedthose women ask for counselors' advice before having children duringpregnancy and after delivery. In addition, they should take account offactors that affect a woman's ability to bring up the child such asfinancial condition, job and support from relatives.
"Scientists have not found any drugs to eradicate HIV/AIDS, so bothHIV-positive women and their children face the risk of mother-to-childtransmission. Thus, the government should pay attention to the fact thatHIV women are choosing to have children," Minh said.
The United Nations Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) officiallystates that parents living with HIV have their sexual reproductiverights protected and can have HIV-free babies.
"Allwomen have the right to choice when it comes to exercising their sexualand reproductive health and rights and protecting themselves from riskof HIV infection," said UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director, Management andGovernance, Jan Beagle. "AIDS is much more than a health issue, it is adevelopment issue, a rights issue, and it is clear that gender equalityand human rights are non-negotiable elements to ensure effective HIVand health responses as well as social justice for all."
In a recent UNAIDS survey, women living with HIV expressed concernabout the advice given by many health workers and authorities to avoidhaving children. They also complained that they lacked information abouthow to have a safe pregnancy and deliver an HIV-negative child.
"People living with HIV aim to live in a world that protects theirsexual and reproductive rights," the survey concluded. The authors addedthat this required training health providers to teach HIV-positiveindividuals considering becoming pregnant about safe conception methodsas well as changes in regulations to improve access to fertilityprocedures that reduced the risk of passing on the virus.-VNA
Three years ago, the thin woman from northern Thai Nguyen province'sDai Tu district never thought she would be so happy. That year, Luonglost her husband and first child to HIV/AIDS and found out she wasinfected with the virus too.
But with the supportof her friends and continued counseling, as well as the help of thelocal branch of Hoa Huong Duong (Sun Flower) Club, an organisation thatprovides care and support to people living with HIV/AIDS, Luongeventually gained back her sense of self.
When shejoined the club of 100 HIV-infected members - 83 of whom were women -Luong found that having HIV does not mean her life is over. Throughmonthly discussions, Luong learned about how to deal with her condition.However, the club sessions did not address her primary longing: a baby.
Last year, after much counseling, Luong and her newpartner decided to go through with a pregnancy. "Nobody supports ourdecision. Neighbours and relatives, even my sister, believed that I willtransmit the deadly virus to my baby and it will be a burden to societyafter I die," she said.
However, Luong is now fourmonths pregnant and receiving antiretroviral therapy (ARV). She stronglybelieves that her baby will be born without the virus. "My partner and Iare building our house and preparing everything to welcome our baby,"Luong said.
Another woman from Ha Thuong commune,33-year-old Tran Thi Thu, has the same desire as Luong but failed twiceto become a mother. Her five-year-old daughter died of the disease fiveyears ago; her son followed, only one hour after coming into the world.
"I participate in several projects for HIV, whichmakes me busy the whole day. But after work, I'm a lonely woman in thecold house where I so long to have a child," Thu said.
She expressed determination to try to have another baby next year."Even living with HIV, a woman still deserves to have her own baby," Thusaid. "As long as you are optimistic, I strongly believe that God willnot let you down whether you are a healthy person or an HIV sufferer."
Luong and Thu's desire to have a baby is common amongHIV-infected women in the district, according to Dinh Thi Xuan, head ofHoa Huong Duong club. "All female HIV carriers in the club talk abouttheir burning desire to have children," she said.
Xuan added that three members of the club have children who testednegative for HIV. This encouraged other women not to give up hope ofhaving healthy children. "I will also have a baby when my financialstate is better," Xuan confided.
Without preventiveintervention, between 20 and 45 percent of infants born to HIV-positivemothers contract HIV through mother-to-child transmission duringpregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding, according to the World HealthOrganisation (WHO). The proportion can be reduced to less than 10percent through a combination of prevention measures, includingantiretroviral therapy (ART) for the expectant mother and her newbornchild, hygienic delivery conditions and safe infant feeding.
Thai Nguyen ranks fourth out of ten provinces nationwide with thehighest number of HIV cases, according to the provincial department ofhealth. Over 9,000 HIV cases have been reported throughout the province,19 percent of them women.
The risk ofmother-to-child transmission reported in the province last year was 6percent, said vice director of the province's HIV/AIDS Prevention andControl Centre Truong Binh Minh.
"Motherhood isstipulated to be the legal right of women following the VietnamPopulation Ordinance so nobody can prevent HIV-positive women fromhaving children," he said.
However, Minh recommendedthose women ask for counselors' advice before having children duringpregnancy and after delivery. In addition, they should take account offactors that affect a woman's ability to bring up the child such asfinancial condition, job and support from relatives.
"Scientists have not found any drugs to eradicate HIV/AIDS, so bothHIV-positive women and their children face the risk of mother-to-childtransmission. Thus, the government should pay attention to the fact thatHIV women are choosing to have children," Minh said.
The United Nations Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) officiallystates that parents living with HIV have their sexual reproductiverights protected and can have HIV-free babies.
"Allwomen have the right to choice when it comes to exercising their sexualand reproductive health and rights and protecting themselves from riskof HIV infection," said UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director, Management andGovernance, Jan Beagle. "AIDS is much more than a health issue, it is adevelopment issue, a rights issue, and it is clear that gender equalityand human rights are non-negotiable elements to ensure effective HIVand health responses as well as social justice for all."
In a recent UNAIDS survey, women living with HIV expressed concernabout the advice given by many health workers and authorities to avoidhaving children. They also complained that they lacked information abouthow to have a safe pregnancy and deliver an HIV-negative child.
"People living with HIV aim to live in a world that protects theirsexual and reproductive rights," the survey concluded. The authors addedthat this required training health providers to teach HIV-positiveindividuals considering becoming pregnant about safe conception methodsas well as changes in regulations to improve access to fertilityprocedures that reduced the risk of passing on the virus.-VNA
