Women in Malaysia More Affected Financially by HIV/AIDS Than Men, Report Says

Women in Malaysia are more likely to experience economic losses associated with HIV/AIDS than men, according to a report recently released by the United Nations, AFP/Yahoo! News reports. The report finds that financial losses associated with the death or unemployment of an HIV-positive family member with the larger income "affects women disproportionately to men, especially single parents." The study's author, Siti Norazah Zulkifli, said there also is "clear evidence of stigmatization and discrimination of people living with HIV from many sources," including health care providers, employers, aid agencies, the community and family members. In addition, the report said that inadequate attention has been given to the psychological impact of HIV/AIDS. "The psychological impact arises in large part from the economic impact and the stigmatization of people living with HIV, including the associated burden of secrecy," the study said. Officials from Malaysia's Ministry of Health have said that the country could be on the brink of an HIV/AIDS epidemic and that the number of cases could increase fourfold to 300,000 by 2015, AFP/Yahoo! News reports. HIV in Malaysia is spread primarily through injection drug use, which accounts for 75.1% of HIV cases in the country, followed by heterosexual sex, according to health ministry data (AFP/Yahoo! News, 3/9).