Beginning today, we bring you a fresh series on AIDS. The experts' views will throw light on the disease and other related issues.``Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome or AIDS is more cruel to women than it is to men. It's impact on them is felt in three areas, biological, social and economic. Biologically, a woman is more vulnerable to the virus than a man. First of all, there is a larger genital area exposed, so the chances of contracting the infection is higher.``Often because women neglect their health and particularly in case of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) can go unrecognised for years. This is mainly because women do not reveal an STD infection to even their doctors. The National AIDS Research Institute (NARI) had conducted a study on the prevalence of HIV infection amongst partners of males attending STD clinic. It was found that the prevalence rate was 13 per cent and the incidence in this group was 8.1 per cent every year.``Society has created rules that are more stringent to women. So while they are lenient with men when it comes to sexual promiscuity, this is not tolerated in women. In a way, it is good as it does not promote a high-risk behaviour in women, but still, it exposes them to infection through men who are into high-risk activity. ``In pregnancy, the case is worse. Expecting mothers are offered this test after counselling since certain medications can prevent the child from getting infected. Because of this test, she tests positive before her husband does. But sadly she gets blamed for infecting her husband, though more than 90 per cent of HIV positive married women, have contracted the disease from their husbands.``Then, if the wife is negative and her husband positive, the support she extends to her spouse is immense. But the reverse is not true for women. In the rare cases where the wife is positive, her family finds it hard to accept and support a positive daughter-in-law.''``If both the partners are positive often it is the male whose treatment is of paramount importance. Women have been groomed into believing that their health status is not that important. In rural areas, women bear all the pain, agony of an illness only because the society expects them to do so. In a way, it is glorified.''``The Commercial Sex Worker (CSW) has been blamed for the spread of the AIDS but the truth is that the infection has levelled off at 60 per cent. This is because for every new infection, there are deaths, so the rate remains stable. What is worrisome is the male who infects other women.''``Because a woman is dependent on a man economically, she does not have greater access to treatment. The Anti-Retro Viral (ARV) treatment is very expensive and if a husband and wife are to be treated, then it is the man who will get the treatment and not the wife.'' ``I have 44 of my patients who are on ARV which roughly costs Rs 25,000 per month. Out of this only five are women of which four are doctors themselves. The fifth woman contracted HIV from her husband and his family treats the husband but not her. Today, if she is receiving ARV it is because of her parents. The male-female ratio for access to treatment is 1 is to 0.6. Women are holding the shorter end of the bargain stick when it comes to AIDS.''
