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26 April 2017

It can be in a doctor’s tone when asking a routine medical question, or in the way a nurse raises an eyebrow. The stigma surrounding HIV can be exhausting. For Angela Hodges, a 51-year-old resident of Washington, D.C., stigma initially led her to deny her HIV-positive diagnosis. Hodges lives at Miriam’s House, a residence for women who are HIV-positive and experiencing homelessness. The stigma has made it difficult for her…

8 May 2017

San Diego - Women living with HIV had a lifetime prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder four times the national average, according to a small study examining women from an urban HIV clinic. Overall, 43.1% of participants met diagnostic criteria for lifetime PTSD, while the national prevalence for women is estimated at 10%, reported Keemi Ereme, MPH, of Howard University College of Medicine in Washington, D.C., and…

2 May 2017

Bose Oladayo learned she was HIV positive more than a decade ago. Back then, Oladayo didn't know much about the disease, but the stories she heard painted a grim picture of her future. Oladayo wanted to "cure" herself of HIV. So, the mother of three made a mixture of deadly chemicals, among them bleach, and injected it into her body, thinking it would kill the disease, Oladayo told TheBody.com via email. "This happened so […

4 May 2017

Plenty of progress has been made in the fight against AIDS. Deaths peaked in 2005, at around 2m people. By 2015 that number had fallen to 1.1m. One big reason is that, of the 36.7m people currently infected with HIV, 18.2m are taking antiretroviral drugs that can hold the virus back for decades. Their number has risen more than twentyfold since the turn of the century.But not all the statistics are so encouraging. Around 1.9m…

5 May 2017

In the small maternity ward of a run-down health clinic in Delft, a half hour drive from Cape Town, the wooden benches in the waiting area are filled with young women and girls from the poor surrounding townships. Nozuko Manong, in her white-and-blue nurse's uniform, calls out a name and escorts a young woman into a small consulting room where the paint is peeling from the walls. Gently, Manong tells the patient the result of…

3 May 2017

The nonprofit International Partnership for Microbicides (IPM) announced today the start of the first clinical trial of its three-month vaginal ring designed to prevent two of the greatest risks to women’s health: HIV, which disproportionately strikes women of reproductive age, and unintended pregnancy, a leading contributor to maternal mortality. The three-month vaginal ring is designed to slowly — and simultaneously —…

27 April 2017

Early antiretroviral therapy (ART) is highly acceptable to the majority of young women with HIV in South Africa, according to research published in AIDS and Behavior. Rates of virological suppression remained at over 85% regardless of CD4 threshold for starting treatment, and answers to a questionnaire showed that over three-quarters of participants were willing to start treatment when their CD4 count was above 500 cells/…

19 April 2017

South Africa - A study conducted by Dr Yogandra Naidoo found that the fear of being discriminated against and stigmatised has made it impossible for HIV and AIDS sufferers in the south Durban township to disclose their status and living their lives.The findings also revealed that poverty’ gender power relations and stigma were major social factors contributing to the growth of HIV and AIDS.

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29 April 2017

It has always been a public secret that women bear the biggest brunt of the HIV and AIDS pandemic, but now, gender activists are saying the cost of that burden is more often than not, understated. From having to sacrifice their other economic and social roles to taking up unpaid 'work' at home in caring for patients living with HIV and AIDS, the burden is proving to be too much on women, activists who are lobbying for…

30 April 2017

Kenya - Sexually active young women and girls aged 15 to 24 are among the high-risk groups targeted in the May 4 rollout of a new method meant to protect HIV-negative people from contracting the virus. The approach, known as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), involves people at high risk of contracting HIV taking an antiretroviral pill, Truvada, daily to lower their chances of getting infected.

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24 April 2017

In Africa, women and girls are the most vulnerable in regards to violence, lack of education, gender equality and health issues. The Kelowna Grandmothers For Africa work towards restoring hope, dignity and the chance to move forward with their dreams through community based programs. The need continues for more funding to be directed to grassroots initiatives that in turn will build resilience and economic independence.…

23 April 2017

Miranda was four months pregnant and extremely anxious when she got her first HIV test. She had long been afraid of a positive diagnosis, and shortly after stepping into a tent offering free HIV tests at a taxi stand in central Johannesburg, her fear was confirmed. Miranda—who asked to use a pseudonym to protect her safety and privacy—had never been tested. “[I thought], It’s not going to happen to me.… [But] part of me…

10 April 2017

"If I have sex, I could go to jail." This is the reality of life for women living with HIV in Canada. It's a story I heard a few weeks ago from an African woman who had recently immigrated to Vancouver and is now faced with the profoundly isolating experience of being a Black HIV-positive woman in Canadian society. This may come as a surprise to anyone unfamiliar with HIV in Canada: Women (and men) who are living with HIV…

24 April 2017

The World Health Organization (WHO) recently issued the first Consolidated guideline on sexual and reproductive health and rights of women living with HIV. The guidance is written for health care providers and aims to support them to provide effective care to meet the sexual and reproductive health needs and rights of women living with HIV. In addition to clinical recommendations, the guideline emphasises the importance of…

12 April 2017

India has passed a landmark bill which aims to ensure equal rights for those living with HIV/AIDS. The HIV and AIDS (Prevention and Control) Bill, passed by the country's parliament on Tuesday, will make it illegal to discriminate against people living with and affected by HIV. It is the first of its kind in south Asia, and will make India the largest country in the world to ban this kind of discrimination.