Jiq Qoexi (not her real name) is pregnant with her third child. Her only hope is that she has "a healthy boy". Unbeknown to her at the time, her first child was born with HIV.
Jiq, 37, lives in Muzhaluo village in Zhaojue County, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture. Five years ago, she, along with her newborn child and husband, tested positive for HIV.
"Qula [not his real name] was born at home, but he was a sickly child and constantly feverish. When I took him to the local hospital he tested positive for the virus," she said.
Zhaojue County is only about 100 kilometers away from the prefecture capital Xichang, home to a satellite launch center. However, in sharp contrast to Xichang's prosperous reputation as a result of its thriving aerospace industry, Zhaojue is synonymous with poverty and HIV/AIDS.
Liangshan prefecture is located along a major drug trafficking route from the Golden Triangle, the infamous heroin production and distribution hub. It is also the largest residential area of the Yi ethnic minority. From 1995 to 2014, the prefecture recorded 35,329 cases of HIV/AIDS, currently it has 21,631 people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA).
Sadly, Jiq's story is not unique: Her husband, like many people in the area, was once an intravenous drug user (IDU) who had contracted HIV through sharing needles. Many other women contracted HIV in similar circumstances, leading to an increase of mother-to-child transmission.
In 2009, the Liangshan Prefecture mother-to-child HIV transmission prevention center began to run the Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission (PMTCT) program, which offered prenatal antiviral treatment and surrogacy.
Luckily, when Jiq delivered her second baby, she was offered PMTCT treatment by her local maternal health center. Her daughter is now three years old and still not showing any signs of the virus.
"My girl is healthy," Jiq said, reaching down to touch her belly before continuing, "but I still want a healthy son to carry on the family name."
