Dr Suniti Solomon, who pioneered HIV research and treatment in India, passes away

At a time when the international journals had been writing a lot about the HIV outbreaks in the world in 1980s, it was the six blood samples she collected from female sex-workers sheltered at a government home in Mylapore that sent first shockwaves of the deadly virus in India. Samples initially tested positive were sent to Christian Medical College (CMC) in Vellore as the facility for ELISA test was only available there in mid-80s. Later, samples were sent to the Johns Hopkins University in Maryland, United States for further confirmation. The first findings of the deadly virus, in Tamil Nadu, was even read out in the state legislative assembly.

She set up the first voluntary testing and counselling centre and an AIDS Research Group in Chennai while serving at the Madras Medical College and Government General Hospital as a Professor of Microbiology. She was also a member of the National Technical Team on women and AIDS and a member of the advisory board of International AIDS Vaccine Initiative-India, member of the Scientific Committee of the National AIDS Research Institute, Pune, Government of India, a permanent member on the Microbicides Committee of the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) and member of the Asia Data Safety Monitoring Board of the Division of AIDS, NIH, USA.

A pioneer in public health and HIV related studies, she was part of several pioneering HIV research studies including the US National Institute of Mental Health’s multi-country HIV/STD Prevention Trial, the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases’ HIV Prevention Trial Networks, NIH award that will measure stigma in health care settings in Southern India, and a Phase III study of 6% CS GEL, a candidate microbicide of CONRAD. She also served as the President of the AIDS Society of India.

Among her colleagues and specialists, she is always remembered as a doctor who dared to deal with HIV at a time when many physicians were reluctant to enter that field. She used to recall an unforgettable case in which she treated a pregnant woman tested positive in 1992, who delivered a baby who also tested positive, although he later died at the age of 17.

Curated For You

‘Glad the flight got cancelled’: Trains to rescue of passengers hit by IndiGo cancellations

Aamir Khan-Rajkumar Hirani to reunite for 3 Idiots sequel; Kareena Kapoor, Madhavan, Sharman Joshi to reprise roles: Report

Goa nightclub fire: Owners escape to Thailand, CBI to seek Interpol notice