23 August 2017
The prevalence of HIV in Uganda is more than 3% higher among women than men, according to research by the Uganda AIDS Commission. While the overall rate of those aged between 15 and 49 living with the infection has declined in the past five years to 6% – from 7.3% – women remain disproportionately affected by the epidemic. Health experts have attributed the disparity to the fact men tend to have more sexual partners, so a…
23 August 2017
Around 34,000 people in Iran have been identified as living with HIV, yet officials estimate many more people unaware of their condition. Kambiz Mehzari, Advisor to the Committee on AIDS Prevention and Control, said that "close to 33% of all infected people are women...The infection used to be more prevalent in men but it's been infecting more and more women in recent times," adding that the rate of women's infection is now…
20 August 2017
In Venezuela, shortages of vital medicines have interrupted treatment for 80 percent of people living with HIV, with deadly consequences along with shortages of food and basic supplies. Thousands of mothers living with HIV currently lack access to medication and baby formula and are being forced to choose between unsafely breastfeeding their babies or letting them go hungry. This crisis has also greatly affected one of…
21 August 2017
Microbicides are being heralded as a way to empower women and protect themselves against the virus, giving women autonomy over their own sexual health. Yet, a recent study conducted by researchers from the University of Zambia, Leeds Beckett University and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine found that men still yield influence over the use of microbicides due to the role of men as decision-makers of the…
20 August 2017
Actress Charlize Theron hopes to create an AIDS-free generation in South Africa through supporting community-based HIV programmes. Recently, she has supported the Choma Dreams Cafe, a place that aims to empower adolescent girls by providing them access to education, life skills, mentorship and HIV prevention tips. Theron believes that gender inequality and poverty play a major role in the spread of HIV and programs such as…
27 July 2017
A follow-up study evaluated the safety and efficacy to the dapivirine vaginal ring as a means of HIV prevention among adolescent girls. It found that using the ring reduced young women's risk of HIV by a promising 56%. The sample of this study consisted of 96 sexually-active girls, between ages 15-17, in the United States. The ring was deemed safe and acceptable in adolescent girls in the United States and the research will…
14 August 2017
A new initiative in Saskatoon, Canada is working to help women living with HIV build a sense of community. The program involves a five-day retreat using art-based therapy methods. Jason Mercredi, executive director of AIDS Saskatoon, said the aim of the event is to help women living with HIV empower their own communities and address their needs.
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12 August 2017
The Red Pump organization's events target women and girls to spread awareness about the impact of HIV and educate them to get tested. According to Red Pump, women make up 25% of the population living with HIV in the United States and less than half of them have the virus under control.
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14 August 2017
Malawi's government says it will work with all tribes in the country in making sure that all women and girls are free from practices that expose them to the risk of contracting HIV and AIDS. During a Ngoni cultural event, Deputy Minister of Gender, Children and Social Welfare Clement Mkumbwa said the time has come for all tribes to start respecting and valuing girls and women in the country. Minister Mkumbwa strongly spoke…
6 August 2017
Sexual violence against women and girls has reached catastrophic proportions in Jamaica, with rates increasing each subsequent year despite under-reporting. Between 2007-2015, the Office of the Children's Registry recorded that 15,457 cases of sexual abuse against children, 92% of all cases, were among girls. Ministry of Health's data also shows that youth are significantly affected by HIV, with girls accounting for the…
9 August 2017
Mayors in West Java Province, Indonesia signed an HIV/AIDS Declaration to demonstrate their leadership in the ongoing fight against the infection in the country. An important aspect of the declaration include youth and young adult education, with a focus on women's reproductive health.
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31 July 2017
New research in KwaZuluNatal, South Africa found that among pregnant women with no previous history of intimate partner violence, those who were diagnosed with HIV were twice as likely to suffer from intimate partner violence compared to those not diagnosed with HIV. According to Dr. Ali Groves, lead researcher, these findings can translate beyond South Africa as factors that contribute to women living with HIV's…
27 July 2017
In many areas of the world, women suffer from vulnerabilities that increase their risk of contracting HIV. Gender disparities contribute to harmful patterns that suppress female agency including societal expectations for women to be submissive, relationships between young women and older men, oppressive sexual relationships, as well as gender-based violence (GBV). This article by the Global Fund highlights the importance of…
7 August 2017
This interview by Dr. Tiffany Aholou of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shares up-to-date findings of the status of HIV among women in the United States. Of all women living with HIV, 78% are African American and Latina. The findings of the study revealed that non-Hispanic black women had the highest risk of concurrent sex partnerships and sex with perceived non-monogamous sex partners, often fueled…
13 July 2017
Professor Angela Kaida, from Simon Fraser University in Canada, will continue to help shape health policies and programmes to support HIV-affected women safely achieve their sexual and reproductive health. Her work spans across Uganda and South Africa and Canada. Currently, she conducts research with the Canadian HIV Women’s Sexual and Reproductive Health Cohort Study (CHIWOS), examining the impact of women-centered HIV care…
14 July 2017
Prudence Mabele, a guiding activist for people living with HIV, passed away on 10 July 2017. In 1992, two years after her HIV diagnosis, she became one of the first black women in South Africa to publicly disclose her HIV status. She did so to break the silence and stigma around HIV and encourage other women living with HIV to live without shame, seek treatment and lead happy and fulfilled lives. Mabele started South Africa's…
13 June 2017
In the deeply conservative Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where women are not allowed outdoors unless accompanied by closely-related male family members, women face social and physical restrictions to accessing antiretroviral therapy (ART). The Ministry of Health is looking to provide at-home ART for women living with HIV to ensure they receive treatment despite their mobility restrictions. A study conducted in this area of 21…
12 July 2017
At the London Family Planning Summit's Spotlight Session on 'Transitions to Adulthood and the Importance of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights to Girls' Empowerment' Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, UN Women's Executive Director, spoke of the high rates of new HIV infections, gender-based violence and childbirth complications young women and girls face. She stressed the need for scaling comprehensive sexuality education which…
11 July 2017
South Africa's leading advocate for people living with HIV and AIDS and a respected gender activist, Prudence Nobantu Mabel, has died. Mabel was the President for the Society for Women and Aids in Africa, the Founder and Executive Director of the Positive Women's Network and Deputy chair of the South African National AIDS Council.
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10 July 2017
The Mahe Declaration, adopted by parliament members of 14 Southern African Development Community (SADC) Parliamentary Forum countries, commits to addressing root causes of HIV among women and young girls by reducing poverty and ensuring access to quality health services and information. Participants of the forum also recommended that women and girls have access to education, ending child marriage practices and protecting those…