Children of HIV-Positive Mothers

"Nestled in a cradle at Moscow's Hospital Number Two, the three-week-old baby girl has no name -- or much of a future. Born to an HIV-positive mother, she was abandoned at birth and is now destined to grow up in an orphanage.In fact, the infant has a fair chance of perfect health, since two-thirds of children born of HIV-positive mothers are not themselves infected, although it will take doctors 18 months to make a definite diagnosis, said Yulia Vlastnaya, head of the hospital's child service. Even so, the nameless, big-eyed baby has already been condemned to a childhood shut away from society. And "as is the case for all children kept in institutions," that in turn means slower development, Vlastnaya said." By Adele Brard, AFP, Yahoo News Link to Article (last visited 6-28-06 NVS)