Adoptions have reduced drastically due to HIV

October 14, 2008

Scourge of HIV/Aids hits adoptions

13 Oct 2008,

HYDERABAD: In what is certainly bad news, adoptions have reduced drastically in

the city with 60 per cent of the abandoned children turning out to be human

immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive.

According to the records of the women and child welfare department, of the 125

children who were abandoned in the city and the surrounding districts of Ranga

Reddy and Nalgonda, and who were potential candidates for adoption, 64 tested

HIV-positive.

Children not adopted are sent to non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and

orphanages where medical care is given to them. However, not many are adopted as

most families do not want HIV-positive children.

Due to the stigma related to HIV/Aids, the adoption rate of abandoned children

has reduced from 40.3 per cent in 2007 to 36.7 per cent in 2008. " Most couples

are not interested to adopt a child with a disease. In most cases, they want

healthy babies to be taken into their family fold, " an officer from the women

and child welfare department told TOI. Children who have diseases are given to

organisations which have good medical facilities.

Also, most children abandoned are girls whose adoption rate is less than that of

the boys.

" Many parents from abroad demand a health certificate for babies whom they are

about to adopt. Such health-conscious people are not receptive to ideas which

are related to care for HIV/Aids, " one of the clearance officers said.

The NGOs which are working with HIV-positive children are also worried about the

emerging scenario. " Many children who are brought to the organisation do not

survive. They die at a very young age. This could be one of the reasons why many

people are not coming forward for adoption of HIV-positive babies, " founder and

care taker of NGO Care and Share, Carol Faiser said.

Care and Share, Vijayawada, has as many as 60 HIV-positive babies in their

charitable homes and get at least 10 every six months. The organisation

facilitates adoption of children by Italian nationals. Health experts in the

field said once the children survive beyond a certain age, they have a better

chance of turning negative.

" Babies may be born HIV-positive because antibodies are passed on from an

HIV-positive mother to the foetus, but they may turn negative either due to

anti-retroviral therapy or their bodies develop resistance to the virus, " a

health expert with Apsacs said.

But then who is going to explain all this to couples interested in adoption?

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