AIDS Risk Climbs For Indian Women

March 3, 2006

NEW DELHI (March 03, 2006): Comprising 40 per cent of India's HIV

infected population, women in the country are gradually becoming

more susceptible to the disease, UN experts said here on Friday.

"Women are biologically more susceptible to HIV infection. Besides,

gender disparities, lack of education and trafficking of women are

making the situation worse," said Archana Tamang, chief of the

women's human rights and human security unit, United Nations

Development Fund for Women.

India has over five million AIDS / HIV infected people, including

over two million women.

Tamang said: "We need to be focussed to create awareness among women

between the ages of 15 and 29."

She said the role of the government, peer education and others needs

to be redefined. Family members also need to provide full support.

"These people never lack in skill and efficiency but what they need

is emotional support."

Giving a global perspective on women infected with HIV, Tamang said

out of 21 million deaths due to AIDS, nine million were accounted

for by women and over four million by children.

Denis Broun, country coordinator, UNAIDS (Joint United Nations

Program on HIV / AIDS), said: "Since a lot of stigma is attached to

the disease, women do not come forward to take medical help."

Out of the five million HIV / AIDS population, only an estimated

65,000 people are taking medical help. While 25,000 are getting

treatment in public hospitals and 10,000 are under the guidance of

NGOs. Around 30,000 are getting treatment in private healthcare

facilities.

"Women's vulnerability is due to two main reasons - one, the lack of

adequate awareness among the community and second, their husbands.

Last year around 80 percent of the women infected were through their

husbands," Broun told IANS.

"The need of the hour is to reach out to young women living in

extremely difficult and marginal circumstances."

However, he said India was doing a commendable job in controlling

HIV infection through blood transfusions. "In the last three to four

years, the country has really made tremendous progress transfusing

quality blood," he said.

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