Salamander

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6379511.stm

Anger over HIV scandal's child victims
By Natalia Antelava
BBC News, Shymkent, Kazakhstan

The hum of radio sets and the murmur of conversation, the odour of sewage and cooking rice all seeped through the thin walls of the dilapidated hallway.

An ageing Kazakh woman in a colourful headscarf put a finger to her wrinkled mouth, signalling us to be quiet, as she led us up stairs to her biggest secret.

The secret was a baby boy, fast asleep on a cheap mattress in a shabby room.

His chubby face looked healthy, peaceful and happily oblivious to the poverty and tragedy around him.