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| Monday, 6 December 2004 |
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Innocent victims by David C. Mulford Protecting women and girls, like the fight against HIV/AIDS generally, is an effort in which everyone has a part to play. HIV/AIDS is the most serious public health challenge facing India today. India is at a critical juncture in the epidemic. While millions are already infected, it is estimated that last year 500,000 more Indians contracted the virus. We can still contain this epidemic, and I am pleased to re-affirm America's support to India in combating the scourge. The theme for World AIDS Day this year is "Women, Girls and HIV/AIDS." In India 36 per cent of the people estimated to be living with HIV are women, and the potential for a much higher number is real. In sub-Saharan Africa, the proportion is 57 per cent. Young girls are particularly vulnerable. In some African communities, as many as 20 per cent of girls aged 15-19 are infected, compared to just 5 per cent of boys the same age. Worldwide, almost 50 per cent of HIV-positive people are women. HIV is spreading rapidly among females for many reasons. The lower status of women and girls and practices such as male infidelity, prostitution, child sexual abuse, and sex trafficking are factors. In addition, male-to-female HIV transmission during sex is twice as likely to occur as female-to-male transmission. In India, awareness of HIV/AIDS among women is also distressingly low - only 20 per cent of women in some areas have correct knowledge about the disease. Women are less likely to access care and treatment and are often subject to severe stigma and discrimination, even within their own families. Reports also indicate that the rate of female injecting drug use, another common way HIV/AIDS is transmitted, is increasing. Even when they are not themselves infected, women are victimised by HIV/AIDS in other ways. They are essential caretakers, caring for the sick and raising orphaned children. They also suffer from stigma and rejection by family and neighbours. Mary, a 30-year-old woman living near Chennai, provides a powerful story of hope. Her husband abruptly abandoned her, pregnant, after learning she was HIV positive. When she went into labour she was refused treatment by one hospital and referred to another. Fearing a second rejection she returned home, only to give birth en route. Her neighbours asked her to vacate her house, at which point her mother contacted the NGO Community Health Education Society (CHES) for help. CHES provided immediate basic medical advice, but more importantly worked extensively with her neighbours to show them she was not a threat. CHES staff spent time with Mary and the baby, kissed the child publicly and drank water from Mary's house. Now she receives open support from her neighbours. While U.S.-India relations have never been better, we must work doubly hard in the fight against HIV/AIDS. I believe the breadth and depth of our joint efforts against HIV/AIDS exemplify the transforming nature of our relationship, but we need more. The U.S. Government dedicates $33 million annually to fighting HIV/AIDS in India. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) spend $18 million on HIV/AIDS-related programmes and the National Institute of Health (NIH) invests $15 million on U.S.-India biomedical and public health research on the disease. The Hindu |
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