Dr Suniti Solomon: The woman who discovered India’s first HIV cases
Dr. Suniti Solomon was a well renowned microbiologist. She studied Medicine at Madras Medical College (MMC) and later trained in Clinical Pathology in the UK, US and Australia.
Suniti Solomon (née Gaitonde), was born in a Maharashtrian Hindu family of the leather traders in Chennai.
In 1980s when AIDS was becoming pandemic, many researchers predicted crisis in India unlike western nations. But this did not happen in part because India had Suniti Solomon, the AIDS-treatment pioneer.
When Dr. Suniti, first pitched the idea to trace HIV in India to her PHD student for thesis. It was met with skepticism from students and academics alike. As the samples collected from red-light areas of Pune, Mumbai and Kolkata had come in negative.
Nevertheless, she decided to look for the traces in Chennai.
This was extremely difficult, since unlike the cities of Mumbai, Delhi and Calcutta which have well-designated red-light districts, Chennai had no designated area. Dr. Suniti and her team had no idea where to find their subject.
To collect the sample, Dr. Suniti (and her student Sellappan Nirmala) had to befriend several sex workers, and through them find the people in network. Coming from traditional family in small village, this meant she and her team was highly ostracized and stigmatized.
Moreover, since there was no ELISA testing facility available at the time in Chennai, Dr Suniti would have to arrange for the samples to be tested at Christian Medical College in Vellore.
In Feb 1986, Dr. Suniti confirmed HIV positive on samples. This was met with initial shock and disbelief, even from Dr. Suniti. So, six samples were sent to US which confirmed that India has to gear up against AIDS now.
Dr. Suniti’s work did not stop with first testing. She went on to pioneer in HIV diagnosis, research and treatment. She founded India’s first AIDS resource group, YR Gaitonde Center. She was known to take in patients who were cast out by the hospitals. During her period of sample, she also came across a 13-year-old girl who was being forced in sex-trade. Dr. Suniti took the her in when the girl escaped. She was posthumously awarded Padma Shri in medicine in 2017.
Reference:
https://yrgcare.org/paying-tribute-to-late-dr-suniti-solomon-on-her-78th-birth-anniversary/
https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/postscript-suniti-solomon-aids-researcher
https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-37183012
https://medium.com/sci-illustrate-stories/suniti-solomon-42b4f395baea
