Women are hit harder than men by HIV/Aids in Malaysia as they are the ones who suffer the economic impact, a United Nations report said today.

The financial effect of HIV after a family bread-winner dies or is forced out of work "affects women disproportionately to men, especially single parents," the report said.

"There is also clear evidence of stigmatization and discrimination of people living with HIV from many sources - healthcare providers, employers, aid agencies, community and within the family," Siti Norazah Zulkifli, the author of the study, said.

Siti Norazah said the stigma of HIV is rooted in the fear of contracting the disease, which persists despite campaigns emphasising that it cannot spread by casual contact or through sharing utensils.

The study also warned that there was insufficient attention to the psychological impact of HIV/Aids.

"The psychological impact arises in large part from the economic impact and the stigmatization of people living with HIV, including the associated burden of secrecy," the report said.

The health ministry has warned that Malaysia could face an HIV/Aids epidemic with the number of infected people rising fourfold to 300,000 by 2015.

The main mode of transmission was related to injecting drug use - accounting for 75.1 percent of the cases - followed by heterosexual transmission, the UN said, quoting Malaysian health ministry data.