15 September 2017
Today, there is widespread recognition that gender-based violence (GBV) is a human rights violation and pervasive global health challenge with many consequences for women and girls including physical injury, psychological trauma, unwanted pregnancy, and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV. We need to take stock of emerging evidence which shows that GBV has a significant impact on women’s use of HIV services,…
25 September 2017
Civil society organizations in Uganda have asked manufacturers of female condoms to redesign them to enhance their usability. According to Salome Atim, advocacy officer of Action for Better Health (ABH) with the National Forum for People Living with HIV/AIDS (NAFOPHANU), several women complained that female condoms are not comfortable and difficult to use. Women are also dissatisfied with the social and cultural norms of…
25 September 2017
Since launching the Treat All Strategy in 2016, Botswana is steadily making strides towards the achievement of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) targets. Speaking at a high level side event on "Fast Track: Quickening the Pace of Action to End AIDS" during the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Vice President, Mr Mokgweetsi Masisi said Botswana supported global efforts to reduce new HIV…
26 September 2017
On World Contraception Day, the International Partnership for Microbicides (IPM) shared their latest research on products to protect women from HIV and unintended pregnancy to address overlapping sexual and reproductive health needs. IPM partnered with the Microbicide Trials Network to launch the first clinical trial of a three-month vaginal ring IPM designed to prevent both HIV and unintended pregnancy. The multipurpose…
20 September 2017
A 15-country study led by the John Hopkins Urban Health Institute and the World Health Organization found that gender stereotypes put girls as young as 10 years old at risk of HIV and depression and lead boys to abuse drugs and commit suicide. This study interviewed 450 adolescents over four years ranging from the United States, Malawi, Belgium and India. The "gender straitjacket," coined by the researchers leaves girls…
20 September 2017
The North West Social Cluster departments of Health, Social Development, Education and Sport Development together with partners, youth organisations and health stakeholders in the North West province will host a two day summit for adolescent girls and young women under the theme: "Take control of your future" with a view to effectively reach and address the particular needs of adolescent girls and young women through…
17 September 2017
Over 30 percent of HIV and AIDS organizations lost federal funding last year when the Public Health Agency of Canada realigned its priorities for fighting the disease, citing a shift in focus from treatment support to prevention. Due to this, the board of directors of Positive Women's Network in British Columbia announced they were closing their doors. "We have made this difficult decision in response to the shifting…
18 September 2017
Maureen Phiri from Lilingwe, Malawi faced much stigma and discrimination from her schoolmates due to her HIV status. "Due to the stigma that was associated with taking anti-retroviral treatment, it became too hard for me to adhere to my daily dosage and, eventually, I defaulted. I was frequently being taken ill and at one time I was forced to go home. Word had reached the school that I had passed on and my friends looked…
11 August 2017
Last week, Chile's Ministry of Health (Minsal) launched a new campaign to prevent STIs, especially HIV, after results from a 66% increase in the spread of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections among the young people, going from 2,900 cases confirmed in 2010 to 4,900 in 2016.
The national Always Protect HIV campaign began to spread after two years of silence. It promotes "condom use, HIV testing, access to care…
11 September 2017
During the recent launch of the AIDS Council in the Vhembe district of South Africa, Executive Mayor Florence Radzilani said authorities were particularly concerned about the spread of HIV among school girls. “One remains concerned about the high level of infections among girls and young women, hence all of us should put more efforts in fighting against abuse of young women by adult men. We should say not with our…
12 September 2017
Communities in Malawi's central region are being encouraged by the Coalition of Women Living with HIV and AIDS in Malawi (COWLHA) to disseminate messages that will lead to the elimination of gender-based violence and HIV among women in the district. COWLHA is implementing a five-year project emphasizing women's empowerment to combat HIV. The organization has trained over 100 community action groups to help disseminate…
11 September 2017
Updated guidance on antiretroviral drugs for pregnant women living with HIV can help women make more informed choices about benefits and harms, say a panel of international experts in The BMJ today. The recommendations, which take a patient's perspective rather than a public health perspective, differ from current guidelines, and are meant to support shared decision making between pregnant women and their healthcare…
7 September 2017
The California Assembly voted Thursday to reduce the penalty for intentionally exposing someone to HIV from a felony to a misdemeanor. Existing laws discriminate against people with HIV, the virus that causes the immune system-weakening disease AIDS, supporters of the change said. The bill, passed 44-13, would treat HIV like other communicable diseases under California law. Between 1988 and 2014, at least 800 people were…
7 September 2017
In a regional workshop, India's Deputy Director General of the National Aids Control Organization (NACO), Dr. Naresh Goel, stated that the lack of knowledge of HIV is a barrier to reaching the zero-infection target by 2020. He referenced the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) of India, between 2006 to 2016, where women's knowledge around HIV and AIDS increased only by 6.1% from 28.5% to 34.6%. This is lower than men's…
5 September 2017
Elizabeth Ayumpou Balang is a teacher at a nursery and primary school in Rumbek, a town in central South Sudan. It is her dream job, but it did not come easily. Like many girls in South Sudan, Ms. Balang was married, and became a mother, while just a teenager. Ms. Balang teaches at a local school where the curriculum includes modules on gender equality, HIV and AIDS and family planning as part of their comprehensive…
5 September 2017
Fred Ssewamala, professor at Washington University in St. Louis, has received a $3.4 million National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant to study the effectiveness of interventions in Uganda aimed at protecting adolescent girls against known HIV risk factors. The five-year study will examine the impact and cost associated with “Suubi (Hope) For Girls,” an…
5 September 2017
ViiV Healthcare announced $1 million in grants for Positive Action for Women (PAFW), a pilot initiative that supports innovative, forward-thinking community collaborations that break down isolation and stigma for transgender and cisgender women of color living with HIV and link them to networks of care.Currently, 80% of all new HIV infections in women in the United States are among women of color. Complex social dynamics…
28 August 2017
A new study found that more states are making female condoms available through Medicaid, rising 30% more from 2007 to 2016. But few women are using them, researchers say. Susan Witte, one of the researchers from the Columbia University School of Social Work, said that when "used correctly, the female condom can provide as much protection as the male condom. Furthermore, a woman can choose on her own to use it and insert it…
28 August 2017
Malawi's Centre for Alternatives for Victimised Women and Children (CAVWOC) has intensified efforts to end cultural practices such as sexual cleansing that are contributing to high school drop-out among girls and the spread of HIV. Project Coordinator Smart Mvula said CAVWOC wants to eradicate harmful cultural practices happening in two traditional authorities of Phalombe district. Mvula said the organization is working with…
28 August 2017
New research shows that improved treatment is allowing more Canadian women living with HIV to get pregnant. According to the Canadian HIV Women's Sexual and Reproductive Health Cohort Study, nearly 25 percent of women reported a pregnancy after an HIV diagnosis. Angela Kaida, a co-author and a Canada research chair in global perspectives on HIV and sexual and reproductive health at Simon Fraser University, said women living…