Reuters Examines Efforts To Increase HIV/AIDS Awareness Among Married Indian Women
Reuters on Monday examined efforts to increase HIV/AIDS awareness among married women in India. According to some HIV/AIDS advocates, most HIV/AIDS awareness programs in the country have focused on "targeted high-risk populations," including injection drug users and commercial sex workers, Reuters reports. According to a recent study of 3,357 women in India conducted by the Y.R. Gaitonde Centre for AIDS Research and Education, more than 85% of the women who tested HIV-positive said they had a single sexual partner. In addition, the survey shows that most of the women did not report using intravenous drugs or having blood transfusions, indicating that they contracted HIV through sexual transmission. According to Reuters, research shows that married and engaged women in the country often "are prevented from actively protecting their" sexual health. "We need to expand the focus to include married, monogamous women who may not perceive themselves to be at risk, but whose personal risk is inextricably linked to the behavior of their husbands," Suniti Solomon of the Y.R. Gaitonde Centre said, adding, "As more and more women get infected, notions of risk group need to be redefined to more accurately assess potential for HIV infections" (Mukherjee, Reuters, 6/19).
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