16 hours ago
Paulin Kola
Parents accused of hiding daughter's HIV infection and neglect
The child did not see a doctor until she was six - and had not had any vaccinations, Italian media say.
BBC News - Europe
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The child did not see a doctor until she was six - and had not had any vaccinations, Italian media say.
16 hours ago
Paulin Kola
Getty Images
Prosecutors in Italy are seeking charges against the parents of a nine-year-old girl alleged to have been infected with HIV and deprived of medical care for years.
The girl's mother is said to have hidden her HIV-positive status during pregnancy and travelled to Spain to give birth in 2017.
The couple then returned to Italy, but their daughter was alleged not to have been seen by any medical professionals until six years later when she became very ill.
They face charges of grave mistreatment leading to serious injury, Italian media say. The BBC has approached the Bologna prosecutor's office for comment.
According to accounts in the Italian media, the couple's daughter was born "outside any medical establishment".
Her parents then took no measures to ascertain if the infection had been passed on and did not arrange for any medical visits or any vaccinations for their child.
It was only in July 2023 that they finally took her to see a doctor following a fever and persistent coughing.
The child appeared malnourished, had difficulty walking, her teeth were in poor condition and she was still wearing nappies, Italian media say, and the doctor recommended immediate hospital care, even threatening to call the police given the parents' reluctance to agree to it.
It was in hospital that the child's HIV condition was discovered - with the parents eventually revealing the sequence of events.
According to Corriere della Sera newspaper, the couple deny being opposed to vaccines - or that they went to Spain to evade medical controls in Italy. They say it was because the mother's family - of Colombian origin - live there.
And they also say the child had had medical care in Spain, until 2019 when they returned to Italy. However, it was only in 2022 that they registered her with a private doctor in Bologna.
The couple's lawyer says the case will determine whether the parents intended to harm their daughter. A hearing has been scheduled in May.
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