Timing is critical

Prospects for haven residents have improved greatly over the last 10 years. That’s because antiretroviral drugs – or ARVs - are much more available. But timing is critical.

Hillary Clinton and Gail Johnson

“I’m not losing as many moms or children. But we had the death of a baby this year. We’ve got longer life span with the mothers. They look a lot healthier. But also because of the denial still in so many people’s minds a lot of the moms are coming just too late. They weigh about 24 kgs and sometimes we can’t turn them around,” she says.

Denial, stigma and discrimination, says Johnson, greatly reduce the chances of survival for infected mothers and children.

Johnson says, “You might have a 26 year old woman living with her parents and the parents will keep her hidden. So she will not be able to access the drugs because she’ll be put in the corner type of situation. Then a neighbor might intervene and it’s too late. It’s too late to turn her around even if she gets put on ARVs.”

Fear, ignorance and taboos

“A lot of the moms are refusing to be tested when they’re pregnant. So, for example, a lot of my toddlers, my two or three year olds, are infected and they shouldn’t be,” she says.

Gail Johnson says culture and tradition can make talking about sex difficult or even taboo. And that can open the door to HIV infection.