29 October 2018

Undoubtedly, the lack of a female face with HIV is partly due to the demographics of the epidemic. In the United States, women make up approximately 25 percent of the people living with HIV. Globally, the statistics are quite different; 52 percent of the people living with HIV are women. Similarly, approximately 50 percent of the new infections every year afflict women.

Perhaps the most sobering statistic: HIV-related illness is the leading cause of death in women ages 15-44, their complete reproductive period. More women in this age group are dying from HIV-related illness than heart disease, car accidents or cancer. This is largely driven by the epidemic in Sub-Saharan Africa, where young women are disproportionately affected, being two to three times more likely to be infected than young men in the same age group.

Read the full article online here.