Married monogamous women silent sufferers of AIDS - Rao

COLOMBO: Married monogamous women are the most silent sufferers of HIV/AIDS. They are estimated to constitute nearly 25-49 per cent of the total number of people infected, yet they are faceless, Prasad Rao, Director, Regional Support Team, Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, UNAIDS said.

He said that according to one UNDP studying South Asia, 40 per cent of women leave their in-laws' house after their husband's death due to AIDS, and 80 per cent of these women mostly infected by their husbands are denied of property rights.

Answering some questions posed by journalists during a press briefing held at the BMICH, Colombo yesterday in connection with Eighth International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific (ICAAP) going on till August 23, Mr. Rao said that political commitment can be measured by the national policy on HIV/AIDS, openly talking about the subject and making available adequate resources.

Ms. Annmaree O'Keeffe, AusAID said that when it comes to the Asian region more attention should be paid on the social stigma and related issues of the epidemic. Doctors are not the best communicators and therefore professional health communicators are needed to educate the people on the issue, she added.

Prof. Samuel of the IAS said that social science and medical science should be combined and come together to combat HIV/AIDS. Ms. Anandi Yuvaraj of PATH also spoke. Dr. Nafis Sadik chaired the press briefing.