primary research on hiv/aids in india has predominantly focused on
known risk groups such as sex workers, sti clinic attendees and
long-distance truck drivers, and has largely been undertaken in
urban areas. there is evidence of hiv spreading to rural areas but
very little is known about the context of the infection or about
issues relating to health and social impact on people living with
hiv/aids. in-depth interviews with nineteen men and women infected
with hiv who live in rural areas were used to collect experiences of
testing and treatment, the social impacts of living with hiv and
differential impacts on women and men. eight focus group discussions
with groups drawn from the general population in the four villages
were used to provide an analysis of community level views about
hiv/aids. while men reported contracting hiv from sex workers in the
cities, women considered their husbands to be the source of their
infection. correct knowledge about hiv transmission co-existed with
misconceptions. men and women tested for hiv reported inadequate
counselling and sought treatment from traditional healers as well as
professionals. owing to the general pattern of husbands being the
first to contract hiv women faced a substantial burden, with few
resources remaining for their own or their children’s care after
meeting the needs of sick husbands. stigma and social isolation
following widowhood were common, with an enforced return to the
natal home. implications for potential educational and service
interventions are discussed within the context of gender and social
relations.