Bangkok, Oct 21: First Lady Laura Bush today met with HIV-positive mothers and their children at a US-sponsored clinic in Thailand, which launched the developing world's first program to prevent mother-to-child transmission. A group of children living with HIV-Aids performed traditional Thai and American songs and dances in honour of the visit made by Bush, as her husband attended the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit here.


"I want to reiterate what their dances were about: unity and hope for the future," Bush told a gathering of mothers and nurses of the children at queen Sirikit national institute of child health.

The boys and girls, dressed in glittering Thai costume, held up four lettered placards spelling out "APEC", which were unfolded to read "Aids prevention every child".

Bush, who was handed garlands of Thai flowers by two dancing girls, then presented red, white and blue kaleidoscopes as gifts to a dozen children before entering private talks with the mothers and health officials.

The first lady said she was "very very proud" of the efforts by health minister Sudarat Keyuraphan, who escorted bush through the hospital, in guiding Thailand's efforts against mother-to-child transmission.
The country has gained relative control over what was a mushrooming aids crisis in the 1980s and early 1990s. Thailand has registered over one million HIV infected persons, of whom 400,000 have already died.


Bureau Report