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In India, the AIDS virus spreads primarily through married men visiting commercial sex workers and/or having multiple sex partners and in turn, affecting their wives and ultimately their unborn children. As there are an estimated 3000 commercial sex workers in the city of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, this has resulted in the spread of the virus at an alarming rate in the city. In Tamil Nadu likely one million are carrying the HIV virus. Chennai currently has over 7600 confirmed cases of full-blown AIDS. These figures are seen as extremely low estimates among those who work with AIDS patients. There are likely many more persons carrying HIV as the virus exists primarily among the destitute and the working poor, from whom it is difficult to obtain accurate statistics.
There is only one government hospital in the state of Tamil Nadu that provides care for AIDS patients, many of whom are treated with locally made remedies as expensive foreign drugs are not used. There are two private hospitals in Chennai who care for AIDS patients, but they are only available to the wealthy. There are currently three AIDS hospices in Chennai, two of which attends to the needs of affected women, the other infected children.
As reported by those working among AIDS patient, families in India often reject family members with AIDS due to social stigma and fear of contracting the disease. Families usually will not risk rejection by their community and will often ostracise their own members in order to avoid this. One who has contracted AIDS will often lose his/her job if co-workers come to know of it. Secondly many private health care professionals refuse to treat or see AIDS patients due to their own ignorance of the disease and fear of contracting it. The entire scenario leaves the AIDS patient rejected, ignorant of his disease, destitute, and unable to meet even his basic needs.meet their painful end.
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