April 22, 2004

Women and HIV:
Eight Times More Likely to be Infected

“For over 20 years, women have been faced with the realities of HIV and AIDS,” notes AIDS Action’s Executive Director Dr. Marsha Martin, DSW. “Unfortunately many women still do not have access to the education and information that they need to make informed decisions about protecting themselves from HIV infection, or receiving appropriate care if they are in fact HIV positive. Public health policy needs to address this concern if we are to make any real progress in ending the HIV epidemic in this country.” To that end, AIDS Action will join over 1400 other local, regional, and national sponsors at the March for Women’s Lives, which will take place in Washington, D.C. on Sunday, April 25. AIDS Action’s participation in this historic demonstration is in support of sexual and reproductive health, and choice for all women.

“Awareness and education about HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases—as well as access to treatment and care—are a critical part of sexual and reproductive health care,” explains Dr. Martin. “The March for Women’s Lives is a critical reminder of unfinished business and a call to action in our community efforts to address the needs of all women.”

Recent statistics have pointed to alarming increases in the number of HIV infections in women. HIV is not a new concern for women in the United States. Since the first case of AIDS in a woman was reported in 1983, 159,271 cases of AIDS in women have been reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and 87,275 women are reported to have died of AIDS. In fact, advocates believe that these numbers are low estimates due to under-reporting and misdiagnosis of many women living with HIV.

Education is critical so that women can make informed choices about HIV prevention and treatment, and sexual and reproductive health care providers are an important resource for this important information. One in five women of reproductive age who obtain treatment or testing for a sexually transmitted disease (STD), such as HIV, does so at a federally funded family planning clinic. In 2002, such facilities provided 5.2 million STD tests and 494,000 HIV tests. A woman is eight times more likely to be infected through sexual contact with a male partner than a man is through contact with a female partner – yet many women still do not have the facts necessary to recognize their own risk.

In addition to participating in Sunday’s March, Dr. Martin will also be a featured speaker at “Globalizing radical agendas: The impact of US policies on women’s reproductive rights,” a workshop organized by the March’s international working group that will focus on HIV/AIDS policy and it’s relationship to women’s rights both at home and abroad. Dr. Martin will be speaking on the U.S. government’s domestic policies with regard to the HIV epidemic in women and how these policies are impacting women’s abilities to protect themselves from HIV infection and/or receive appropriate medical care if they are HIV positive.

“This weekend will be a historic moment for women’s sexual and reproductive rights,” notes Dr. Martin. “It is important that we take this opportunity to recognize and change the impact that HIV has on women in this country; we must provide women with the information they need about this critical component of their sexual and reproductive health.”

 

AIDS Action Foundation strives to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic by working for public policies that promote prevention against new infections, provide care for people already living with HIV/AIDS, and support the search for a cure. AIDS Action is the national voice of all people living with HIV, representing community based organizations across the country.