Testing, Testing

Moses is going for testing. He has about a 25% chance of being HIV+. While that number seems huge, it's more likely that he's not positive. Let's think of it in different terms: there's a 75% chance that he's free of HIV.

Most HIV tests in Malawi measure antibodies. From what I've read, any child born to an HIV+ mother will have HIV antibodies (which stick around until the child is 18 months old or so). There's a special, more expensive test that looks for the HIV virus itself. It is the DNA PCR test. From what we understand, this test is definitive as long as the child has not been breastfeeding for a few weeks. Moses was only breastfed for his first two months of life.

There's only one known place in Malawi who has this test (and I spent many late hours calling around the country to learn this information). Johns Hopkins has a research project in the commercial center of Blantyre. This is a two-hour bus ride from our town. I talked to an American working there who said she would help us get Moses a DNA PCR test. Margaret will be taking him either tomorrow or Wednesday. I believe they ship the samples off to the US or UK because it will take 2-4 weeks to receive the results.

As excited as we are, we need to learn the baby's status before we can move ahead. Dustin and I aren't in a place (emotionally or financially) where we could adopt a child with HIV. But either way, Baby Moses has come into our lives and we will make sure he's cared for. Of course, we pray, for his sake, that he is healthy. Most HIV positive babies don't live past the age of two.