What We Do > CMMB People > Asha Gives Birth

Asha, a young Hindi woman from the southern state of Andhra Pradesh, was married and expecting her first child when she visited a local clinic. A Catholic nun who is also a doctor recommended that she be tested for the HIV virus. Asha agreed to the test, but the results were not good: Asha was HIV-positive, and if she did nothing, her baby would be in danger of being born with the virus.

Asha’s predicament is increasingly common in India today, where an estimated 5.3 million people are infected with HIV. What has been inspiring is the response of the Catholic Church in India. The Catholic bishops there have taken the lead in developing a national AIDS policy for all Catholic healthcare institutions. So Asha boarded a train for the five-hour trip to St. John’s Hospital in Bangalore, where care is provided free of charge to all who cannot afford to pay. There, she was counseled by Sister Doctor Cecile of the Franciscan Servants of Mary, and agreed to receive treatment. Just before and just after her baby was delivered a few days later, the CMMB-supplied antiretroviral nevirapine was administered, greatly increasing the chances that her baby would be born HIV-free. Testing of the baby will be repeated at intervals of three, six and 18 months, but so far, the report is very good indeed: her baby is healthy and free of the HIV virus.

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