10 July 2017
Global HIV leaders have committed to ensuring young people affected by HIV/AIDS play an integral part in shaping new research and policies to strengthen HIV prevention, testing and treatment in sub-Saharan Africa. The agreement was made during a special roundtable organised by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, the charity Sentebale and its Co-Founding Patron Prince Harry. The Prince met researchers working…
28 June 2017
A qualitative study of 39 Malawian women who had started antiretroviral treatment during pregnancy or breastfeeding found that 25 of them had dropped out of treatment. Lack of social support after diagnosis and inadequate counselling about HIV treatment and disclosure were identified as key reasons for dropping out of treatment after starting. The study also notes a lack of evidence from the women's perspective on barriers to…
30 June 2017
AIDS related illness remains the leading cause of death for women of reproductive age in Kenya. According to UNAIDS, intimate partner violence has been identified as one of the key drivers of HIV transmission, particularly in rural areas. To better address the impact of HIV on young women and adolescent girls, the government requires better programming integrating sexual and reproductive health and rights, HIV services and a…
30 June 2017
Civil Society Organisations, United Nations agencies and other partners are working with the South African Development Community (SADC) Parliamentary Forum to hold the first ever Women’s Parliament in Seychelles next week on 5-6 July 2017. The meeting will bring together SADC women members of parliament and their worldwide counterparts to critically discuss and sustain the engagement of parliaments to implement the United…
22 June 2017
A workshop conducted in Kathmandu, Nepal with development agencies, government and civil society focused on the importance of comprehensive sexuality education in schools to provide students with information about gender roles, reproductive health, HIV, adolescent pregnancy and gender equality. Comprehensive sexuality education goes beyond anatomy and physiology of sex, including education around relationships, values,…
24 June 2017
At the first Sexual and Reproductive Health Conference of the Barbados Family Planning Association (BFPA), Dr. St John stressed the importance of improving sexual and reproductive health and rights to address the countries' high sexually transmitted infection rates, prevent and treat HIV and promote gender equality and opportunities for young people.
Read the full article online…
22 June 2017
Musicians Raheem DeVaugn and Goapele joined forces with AIDS Healthcare Foundation and Chicago-based South Side Help Center (SSHC) to present "RISE Above," an awareness program and HIV campaign to end stigma around HIV, educate and empower women and girls. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1 in 4 individuals living with HIV in the United States are women. African American and Hispanic women are…
16 June 2017
Sexual and reproductive health are often not included in national school curricula. In some African countries with HIV awareness or life skills programs, teachers are frequently unwilling to teach these subjects due to constraints on teaching time and resources or because of the sexual and reproductive health content.
Read the full article online…
26 June 2017
The project, led by the Journalist Association Against AIDS (JournAIDS), works in communities of Dowa district to raise awareness on preventing mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV. This is done through PMTCT Media workshops engaging men and women, strengthening the Option B+ approach, involving traditional and religious leaders to support PMTCT and advocating for equitable service delivery.
Read the full article…
25 June 2017
South Africa's AIDS Conference in Durban focused on empowering youth, particularly adolescent girls and young women. Hilary Thulare, from the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), shared that one of the top issues identified by youth is the lack of approachable resources with non-judgmental staff. According to Thulare, establishing better communication with youth can change attitudes and motivate them towards responsible sexual…
19 June 2017
According to India's National Family Health Survey (NFHS) 2016, only 14.7% of women in rural Rajasthan, India have a comprehensive knowledge of HIV and AIDS. A high migratory population in the state makes Rajasthan vulnerable to HIV and AIDS. But a matter of even more serious concern is the low percentage of women with comprehensive knowledge of HIV and AIDS.
Read the full article online…
19 June 2017
The National Youth Council of Malawi (NYCOM) together with the Youth and Health Ministries will host a National Symposium in Lilongwe this month focusing on issues of HIV/AIDS and Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR). The symposium aims to bring together key players in implementing programs around adolescents as well as reviewing coordination mechanism and programming gaps of adolescent and youth-targeted HIV/AIDS and…
19 June 2017
In Uganda, 575 adolescent girls and young women (ages 15-24) get infected with HIV on a weekly basis. To address factors leading to the vulnerability of infection for adolescent girls and young women, The International Community of Women Living with HIV in Eastern Africa (ICWEA) and its partners have embarked on training young women in practical skills for economic empowerment and negotiation abilities to prevent HIV…
19 June 2017
Professors and epidemiologists Salim and Quarraisha Abdool Karim visited the Chatsworth Regional Office. Prof. Quarraisha Abdool Karim explained that reducing HIV in young women is the only answer to downtrend the epidemic. "Biomedical interventions alone cannot solve this challenge but gender, power and value of women must be given priority," she said.
Read the full article online…
12 June 2017
Caprisa's director, Dr. Salim Abdool Karim, says now women can protect themselves against HIV by using a drug called Truvada. According to Dr. Karim, the incidence rate for HIV continues to be unacceptably high, particularly among young women as they bear the brunt of the HIV epidemic and continue to have the highest rate of HIV in South Africa.
Read the full article online…
6 June 2017
Delroy Chuck, Jamaica's Minister of Justice, stated that treating HIV and AIDS as solely a health issue is the biggest mistake. According to the Minister, HIV and AIDS cannot be addressed without confronting institutionalised discrimination of women, gender-based violence, poverty, social exclusion and inequality.
Read the full article online…
13 June 2017
Over 6,000 adolescent girls in Zimbabwe have benefited from the DREAMS initiative, funded by USAID and coordinated by the National AIDS Council. The DREAMS director, Masimba Nyamuchena, reported that 30% of young women in urban Gweru, Mutare and Bulawayo were retained in employment to date, after completing a six-month internship under the DREAMS initiative. Family planning uptake has also improved among adolescent girls and…
14 June 2017
A staggering 2,000 girls and young women are infected with HIV every week in South Africa. Basic Education Deputy Minister Enver Surty presented the department's integrated policy on HIV, TB and STIs and said the implementation of the policy was the responsibility of all managers within education and health systems. Another department staff, Amanda Rozani, said the policy will be the first of its kind which addresses HIV and…
6 June 2017
The Zambezi Region of Namibia faces a raft of developmental challenges hampering efforts to remedy sexual reproductive health rights and HIV and AIDS. Some health facilities in the region are not accessible to residents that find themselves in the vast sparsely populated region. To reach health facilities for some residents that are mostly destitute means having to walk over 10 kilometres, risking crossing paths with dangerous…
13 June 2017
A survey conducted in South Africa among 650 young women (ages 16-24) found that 1 in 20 women not receiving HIV treatment reported uncaring, judgmental health staff as the primary barrier to care. The report states that the number of mentions of rude‚ untrustworthy and unsupportive care from nurses is notable and worrying.
Read the full article online…