Nowhere To Go ... (Press, 10 November 1983)

In November 1983, an infant aged 14 months in Florida was diagnosed with AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) and was facing a grim prognosis, with only about three years to live. The child had lost her mother, a 33-year-old Haitian immigrant who succumbed to the disease just three weeks prior, while her father had abandoned her. The Florida Department of Health had ceased financial support for her hospital care, which cost approximately $655 per day. As a result, the staff at a Miami hospital were urgently seeking a foster home for her. Medical professionals confirmed that the baby likely contracted the disease either before or during birth due to exposure to her mother's contaminated blood. At that time, AIDS was predominantly affecting homosexual men, drug users, and Haitians, with the public displaying a prevalent fear and misunderstanding about the transmission of the disease. Despite the medical community's reassurances that AIDS could not be transmitted through casual contact, around 20 foster homes declined to take in the infant. The hospital’s social welfare assistant highlighted that these refusals were largely due to fear of contagion. This situation illustrated the growing concern and stigma surrounding AIDS during that period, as well as the challenges faced by those living with the disease, including vulnerable individuals like this child. The assistant noted that the infant's innocent smile was insufficient to alleviate the fears held by potential foster parents.

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