Half of the men in Moldova have sexual relations outside marriage and expose their wives to the risk of becoming infected with HIV, shows a study presented Tuesday by the Ministry of Labor, Social Protection and Family, the Ministry of Health and the United Nations Organization, Info-Prim Neo reports. In a news conferment, Minister of Labor, Social Protection and Family Valentina Buliga said that over 6,000 cases of HIV infection have been recorded in Moldova by October 1. The women in rural areas are exposed to a greater risk of infection owing to the low level of knowledge about HIV and protection measures. According to the information provided by the UN Resident Coordinator in Moldova Kaarina Immonen, 7,000 new cases of HIV infection are recorded daily worldwide. Half of the infected persons are women. The authors of the study recommend including the gender dimension in the national policies on HIV in order to raise awareness of the risks of HIV transmission among women, improving access to prevention means and modernizing the social norms concerning the men's and women's role in the family.