The infant, nicknamed "Heibao," is the youngest HIV-carrier in Taiwan, said Chiu Shu-mei, executive director of the Home of Mercy Infant Center.

As the center is aware that it will be difficult to get Heibao adopted in Taiwan because of the prejudices about AIDS and adoption harbored by many Taiwanese, it has decided to put the infant on a waiting list for adoption by people from abroad, even though it knows that adoption procedures usually take at least two to three years before a baby can be adopted and travel to his or her new home overseas, Chiu said.

Despite being HIV-positive, Heibao is presently healthy and developing normally on a daily drug cocktail therapy, Chiu added.

According to Chiu, Heibao's parents are both drug addicts and the infant did not receive any medical attention either before or after his birth to his HIV-positive mother.

The child's father died shortly after the birth, while his mother was arrested and jailed, leading to him being taken in by the center.

Receiving medication before and after birth is critical for such infants, as proper medication in those critical periods reduces the chances of them becoming HIV-positive to under 1 percent, said Chiu.