Socio-Economic Impact of HIV and AIDS in Tamil nadu

discrimination. This discrimination
was in the form of refusal of medical
assistance, being treated badly, and,
in a small percentage of cases, denial
of admission. During the FGD, the
participants narrated many incidents of
denial of admission, refusal of medical
treatment, etc.
Through the sur vey of non-HIV
households, 559 men and 643 women in
the age group of 20-60 were interviewed
to gauge their level of knowledge and
awareness about HIV and AIDS. Barring
a few, nearly all of them had heard about
HIV and AIDS. The sources of information
were mostly television and radio, as both
the mediums are popular with the people.
However, knowledge regarding different
aspects of the infection was quite low,
with women being less knowledgeable
than men. For instance, only 55 percent
of men and 34 percent of women knew
the linkage between HIV, AIDS and STI.
There were also misconceptions about
HIV and AIDS. The percentage of people
reporting right use of condoms was also
quite low. While a higher percentage of
women knew about usage of condoms to
avoid pregnancy and for STI protection,
a higher percentage of men knew about
its use in HIV and AIDS prevention. It
was also found that respondents had a
negative attitude towards PLWHA with
women discriminating against them to
a greater extent.