Chennai
Suniti Solomon, who woke India up to HIV threat, dies at 76
Dr Solomon, then a microbiologist at Madras Medical College, and her team for the first time documented evidence of HIV infection in India. (TOI photo: Shyam Sonar)
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CHENNAI: On July 22, 1987, 33-year-old S Noori sat in a dimly-lit corridor as a lanky woman in a lab coat strode towards her with a medical report. Noori was told she had tested positive for HIV, a then little known virus that was viciously attacking people around her. "She said I didn't have much time to live as they had only recently discovered the disease and there was no cure. I was asked to make my life count," said Noori, a transgender who gave up commercial sex work to help people from her community.
The woman who delivered the report to Noori was Dr Suniti Solomon, whose pioneering work in HIV a year earlier had startled the medical fraternity and pushed the government to act. In 1986, Dr Solomon, then a microbiologist at Madras Medical College, and her team for the first time documented evidence of HIV infection in India. Noori was among the second batch of around 135 commercial sex workers from Chennai who were tested. "She didn't just break down science for us. She taught us to live," said Noori.
For close to three decades Dr Solomon used science to save and make lives, and lost hers to cancer. She passed away at her residence in Chennai on Tuesday morning. She was 76, and is survived by her son Dr Sunil Solomon.
"We lost a prolific scientist, a great teacher and a wonderful person who worked tirelessly to bring science to the people," said Dr Sundar Sundararaman, her student and later her colleague. Born into the illustrious Gaitonde family, Dr Solomon graduated from Madras Medical College. She married eminent cardio-thoracic surgeon Dr Solomon Victor. While Dr Solomon Victor focused on treating poor patients and in 1989 conceived the Rheumatic Heart Ailment project, Dr Suniti Solomon moved beyond research to set up Y R Gaitonde Centre for AIDS Research and Education (YRG CARE), a premier HIV/AIDS care and support centre, in Chennai.
"More than the virus itself, Dr Solomon was concerned about the stigma HIV positive people faced," said Dr D Dhanikachalam, head of technical support unit, Tamil Nadu State Aids Control Society (TANSACS). "When the epidemic was first discovered, people were afraid to go close to those with HIV. She felt the pain they went through and worked to fight not just the virus but the discrimination too," he said.
Trained in pathology in the UK and the US, her experience covered a range of aspects linked to HIV infection, biomedical parameters to socio-economics. She also published papers extensively on HIV epidemiology, prevention, care, support and related gender issues. In 2012, Dr Suniti Solomon was given the Lifetime Achievement Award for Service on HIV/AIDS by the state-run Dr MGR Medical University here.
In 2009, the ministry of science and technology conferred the 'National Women Bio-scientist Award' on her. In 2001, she was given a similar award for her pioneering work on HIV/AIDS by the state run-medical varsity. A fellow of National Academy of Medical Sciences (NAMS), New Delhi, she had served on several boards, including National Technical Team on Women and AIDS, Advisory Board of the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative-India, the Scientific Committee of the National AIDS Research Institute Pune and the Microbicide Committee of Indian Council of Medical Research.
"She was a no nonsense person with a high sense of commitment. Her work is testified through hundreds of publications and her contribution is acknowledged across the world. As a teacher, she taught over 25 batches of students in MMC," Dr Sundararaman.
In an earlier interaction with TOI, Dr Solomon had commended the work Tamil Nadu had done in the field of HIV/AIDS and said the state had come a long way in screening, but the programmes had become complacent with counselling. "We have contained the infection to an extent among truckers and female sex workers. But if we become complacent there will be an increase of incidence among these as well," she had said.
People who worked with her are not surprised by her prediction. "She worked tirelessly for the cause not just inside labs but outside as well. If she was concerned, there were obvious reasons," said a microbiologist, who worked closely with her in the late 90's. Dr Solomon also said it was unfortunate that despite 30 years of the HIV epidemic and the progress made, there is still no cure or effective vaccine for the infection. "But what is killing people with AIDS more is the stigma and discrimination," she had said.
The woman who delivered the report to Noori was Dr Suniti Solomon, whose pioneering work in HIV a year earlier had startled the medical fraternity and pushed the government to act. In 1986, Dr Solomon, then a microbiologist at Madras Medical College, and her team for the first time documented evidence of HIV infection in India. Noori was among the second batch of around 135 commercial sex workers from Chennai who were tested. "She didn't just break down science for us. She taught us to live," said Noori.
For close to three decades Dr Solomon used science to save and make lives, and lost hers to cancer. She passed away at her residence in Chennai on Tuesday morning. She was 76, and is survived by her son Dr Sunil Solomon.
"We lost a prolific scientist, a great teacher and a wonderful person who worked tirelessly to bring science to the people," said Dr Sundar Sundararaman, her student and later her colleague. Born into the illustrious Gaitonde family, Dr Solomon graduated from Madras Medical College. She married eminent cardio-thoracic surgeon Dr Solomon Victor. While Dr Solomon Victor focused on treating poor patients and in 1989 conceived the Rheumatic Heart Ailment project, Dr Suniti Solomon moved beyond research to set up Y R Gaitonde Centre for AIDS Research and Education (YRG CARE), a premier HIV/AIDS care and support centre, in Chennai.
"More than the virus itself, Dr Solomon was concerned about the stigma HIV positive people faced," said Dr D Dhanikachalam, head of technical support unit, Tamil Nadu State Aids Control Society (TANSACS). "When the epidemic was first discovered, people were afraid to go close to those with HIV. She felt the pain they went through and worked to fight not just the virus but the discrimination too," he said.
Trained in pathology in the UK and the US, her experience covered a range of aspects linked to HIV infection, biomedical parameters to socio-economics. She also published papers extensively on HIV epidemiology, prevention, care, support and related gender issues. In 2012, Dr Suniti Solomon was given the Lifetime Achievement Award for Service on HIV/AIDS by the state-run Dr MGR Medical University here.
In 2009, the ministry of science and technology conferred the 'National Women Bio-scientist Award' on her. In 2001, she was given a similar award for her pioneering work on HIV/AIDS by the state run-medical varsity. A fellow of National Academy of Medical Sciences (NAMS), New Delhi, she had served on several boards, including National Technical Team on Women and AIDS, Advisory Board of the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative-India, the Scientific Committee of the National AIDS Research Institute Pune and the Microbicide Committee of Indian Council of Medical Research.
"She was a no nonsense person with a high sense of commitment. Her work is testified through hundreds of publications and her contribution is acknowledged across the world. As a teacher, she taught over 25 batches of students in MMC," Dr Sundararaman.
In an earlier interaction with TOI, Dr Solomon had commended the work Tamil Nadu had done in the field of HIV/AIDS and said the state had come a long way in screening, but the programmes had become complacent with counselling. "We have contained the infection to an extent among truckers and female sex workers. But if we become complacent there will be an increase of incidence among these as well," she had said.
People who worked with her are not surprised by her prediction. "She worked tirelessly for the cause not just inside labs but outside as well. If she was concerned, there were obvious reasons," said a microbiologist, who worked closely with her in the late 90's. Dr Solomon also said it was unfortunate that despite 30 years of the HIV epidemic and the progress made, there is still no cure or effective vaccine for the infection. "But what is killing people with AIDS more is the stigma and discrimination," she had said.
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