Most people, particularly in rural areas, ignore basic facts about the disease and many keep their illness or infection secret because AIDS carries a social stigma. It is associated with promiscuous sexual behavior, contagion, and death. Certain groups of women are at special risk - among them the monogamous wives of migrant workers and truckers. A study by the National AIDS Research Institute concluded that 14 percent of women testing positive for HIV reported no other risk behavior than sexual intercourse with their husbands. Also vulnerable are the young women recruited by those who run the sex trade.
Recruiters come from the cities to rural areas, luring women with false promises of work.
In many cases, they become infected with a sexually transmitted disease by men who believe the myth that sexual contact with virgins cures infections. Once infected with a sexually transmitted disease, the young women are 8 to 10 times more vulnerable to the HIV virus. Consistent use of condoms, although it is one of the most effective weapons against the spread of HIV, is very difficult to promote. Prostitutes face a real dilemma when they try to implement protective measures. Several international drug manufacturers are now offering drugs to treat AIDS at much lower prices.