A University of Washington study has revealed that those women who use vaginal washes run a higher risk of contracting HIV/AIDS. The study which extended over a period of ten years was led by Scott McClelland. The women who live in the sub-Saharan Africa mostly go in for vaginal washes. As many as 1,270 Kenyan women were examined during the course of the study.
The researchers also found that women who reported that they washed with soap were four times more likely to be infected with HIV, reports science portal SciDev.Net. It has long been thought the practice would increase women's susceptibility to HIV by stripping away the vagina's natural protection against infection and making it easier for the virus to enter cells.However, Robin Shattock, professor of molecular infection at St George's Medical School in London, said more studies were needed to demonstrate a definitive link between washing and HIV infection.
Edited IANS
