Dr. Suniti Solomon_HIV/AIDS Crusader passed away
At a time HIV was spreading like a wildfire across the world, India had a hundred thousand long-haul truck drivers, more than two million prostitutes, close to three thousand brothels, and tens of millions of seasonal workers who moved in and out of the cities. Hundreds of millions of people lived without running water, let alone the costly drugs necessary for the treatment of HIV/AIDS. One woman came out to fight against the growing epidemic, and she was none other than Dr. Suniti Solomon – the HIV/AIDS crusader. She was a professor of microbiology at the Madras Medical College when she and her colleagues documented the first evidence of the HIV infection in India in 1986 when blood samples of six commercial sex workers tested positive. The samples were first sent to Christian Medical College in Vellore and later to a facility in the USA, where the result was confirmed. The first finding of the deadly virus, in Tamil Nadu, was even read out in the state legislative assembly. I...