Alice's (not her real name) is not an isolated case. A recent study across Kerala has confirmed that it is these monogamous housewives with no control over their own sexuality who are getting bracketed with the high-risk group like commercial sex workers and truck drivers who increasingly become victims of the pandemic. At least 30 per cent of the new HIV victims are housewives, according to the Kerala State AIDS Cell.

``Alice was furious when she discovered that she had been infected. She was a nurse in a private hospital. The hospital terminated her services when it was discovered that she was HIV-positive. She deserted herhusband and went to her parents but came back when she heard that he was hospitalised'', said Asha, a counsellor at the Ashraya counselling centre being run by the Indian Medical Association (IMA).

Ten housewives have tested positive for HIV in the last six months at the IMA blood bank alone. ``It has become a familiar phenomenon across Kerala now. Innocent housewives are the biggest victims of the marauding male libido. They dare not insist on safe sex as there is an implicit element of distrust in it, which can goad a husband into divorce or an instant talaq.

``We will rather face the death sentence than insist on the use of contraceptives. We will take it as our fate if we get AIDS', they tell me,'' said Vanitha Commission chairperson Sugathakumari.

Most of these housewives had husbands who worked in Bombay or abroad. The majority of males who tested positive confessed to having multiple sexual relations. Two of them were homosexuals as well.

``Even when a man tests HIV-positive he seeks a maritalpartner. Or, he is forced to contract a marriage by parents. Young girls are now beginning to be scared of marrying men working outside Kerala'', said Dr Rama Menon of IMA.

Another significant phenomenon noticed in Kerala is the presence of HIV in women who are recruited and sent as housemaids to the Gulf. According to counselling sources, they are sexually abused in the Gulf.

``When they go for the first time they are medically fit. It is when they come seeking medical certificate for an extension of visa that they are found to be HIV-positive. Most of them who come to us for counselling admit that they have been violated. A 40-year-old came back HIV-infected but she was taken back by her husband'', said Rajani, another counsellor at Ashraya.

This trend applies to men too. ``Around 70 per cent of men who came for visa extension were tested positive after their first trip'', said Dr Rama. Most of them were skilled labourers like masons and carpenters. But even 2 per cent of professionals like engineersand doctors tested positive after their first trip abroad. According to an IMA study, people in their prime, in the age group 20-40, were the most affected by HIV with only 5 per cent in the age-group 40-50.

Quite often the revelation sends the victims seeking a quick exit from life. A man from Pathanamthitta who was recently married found himself HIV-positive when his blood was tested for transfusion for his pregnant wife. He left his home, took a room in Alappuzha, and committed suicide. His wife and her family had to face social ostracism and persecution. Her younger sister could not find a bridegroom to marry her.

Another sister who was taking care of her and the child was forced to get an HIV test by her husband before he agreed to take her back. The parents of the girl cannot find work as the locals are refusing to permit them to live in the locality.``When life becomes insufferable for an AIDS victim in Kerala they migrate to Tamil Nadu, seeking anonymity to die in peace'', said Malini Menon,convener of Yuva Parivarthan which imparts AIDS awareness in collaboration with the Field Publicity Department in rural areas. ``Doctors are the least aware about AIDS. A hospital refused to admit a butcher's wife who was HIV-positive for her delivery'', she added.