More Young Women Infected With HIV In India

November 4, 2007

Med Headlines - According to a statement released by the World Health

Organization (WHO), the number of young women infected with HIV in

India is twice as high as the rate of young men affected by the

virus. A WHO official released a statement in Hyderabad, and

expressed concern on growing " feminization " of the disease.

WHO took into account a study by the UNAIDS conducted in 2006.

Manjula Lusti-Narasimhan, who is the technical officer for Sexual and

Reproductive Health and HIV, WHO, revealed that 39% of the people

infected with HIV are young women between the ages of 15-24. The

number is almost double that of affected men in the same age group.

Narasimhan said, " The increasing feminization of HIV in India, among

the younger lot, is not a good sign. "

arly 2.5 million people in India are infected with HIV. Experts feel

that nothing significant has been done to address this issue.

As indicated by Lester Coutinho of the and Lucile Packard

Foundation, India, " There is far too much of dialogue, too much of

lip service and tokenism. But when it comes to actually tackling the

problem, especially when it concerns the youth, nothing much has been

done. " Coutinho organized an HIV/AIDS awareness program in the tribal

areas of Bihar and Jharkhand for past eight years.

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