Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1999. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
The Associated Press - Saturday, August 7, 1999
David Longstreath - Associated Press Writer
Squatting in the only patch of shade outside an orphanage in Cambodia's capital, she cradles her daughter, a sickly 7-month-old probably ill with AIDS. "I have not named her yet because she is so sick," Thuong says. Thuong has come to abandon her baby. The agony of the decision is etched deeply in her sunburned face. Tears fill her eyes.
She has made her way to the orphanage, the Phnom Penh Nutrition Center, from a village 25 miles east of Phnom Penh.
A nurse spots Thuong before she can leave the child.
"I was told that I could hand over my baby to the doctors here. I don't have any money to feed my baby and my other child," Thuong tells her.
The nurse listens patiently, but then tells the 32-year-old mother to leave. The child is too ill for the orphanage to accept, she says.
Quietly Thuong gathers herself and the baby and disappears down a side street.
Democratic elections a year ago gave many Cambodians hope for better times after a long civil war that left their nation one of the world's poorest.
But a new kind of death is spreading.
Cambodia is suffering the highest rate of infection with the AIDS virus in Asia. The first case of HIV infection was detected in 1991, and now the virus is infecting an estimated 100 people a day. Prime Minister Hun Sen says more than 8,000 Cambodians died of AIDS last year.
Cambodia's thriving commercial sex industry is seen as the main culprit in the spread of the disease. It is believed half the 10,000 to 20,000 sex workers are infected with the AIDS virus.
Among the saddest cases are the infants. The authorities say more and more HIV-positive babies are being abandoned at orphanages and hospitals in Phnom Penh.
"Over the next year as many as 1,700 Cambodian children will die from the virus," says Dr. Tia Phalla, the Ministry of Health's national manager for its AIDS program.
He says the number of orphans under age 15 infected with the virus is expected to reach more than 12,000 next year.
Lying in a simple wooden crib in a nursery at the Phnom Penh Nutrition Center, 6-month-old Roath Chamrouen stares blankly at the ceiling. Any movement near the crib causes him to cry out. The cries are silent; he is too weak to make any noise.
Ly Da, a nurse, quietly slips on a pair of rubber gloves before changing the boy's diaper. "Every month we get more and more babies like this," she says.
There are 40 to 50 AIDS children at the aging orphanage. Infants, toddlers and young teens are tended lovingly by nurses and volunteers. Small mountains of freshly laundered cloth diapers compete for space along with toys and strollers.
Da gently changes the diaper of Roath Chamrouen, smiles and puts him back in the crib.
"I feel pity because they are born from parents with AIDS, but I love these children as my own," she says.
990807
AP990806
Copyright © 1999 - Associated Press. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the AP Permissions Desk.
AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, Elton John AIDS Foundation, National Library of Medicine, Pacific Life Foundation, and donations from users like you.
Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 1999. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.
AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Copyright ©1980, 1999. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .