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Anyone who read a newspaper or watched the news last week probably began to see a theme among AIDS related headlines; the focus was on women. There is little doubt that worldwide, HIV impacts women far more than it does men (though you wouldn't know it living in the USA). By most accounts, women are two to eight times as likely as men to become infected with HIV during a single act of unprotected heterosexual intercourse. Additionally, women are more likely to take on a caregiver role, caring for infected family members, orphaned children, and the frail elderly, sometimes even while they themselves are HIV positive. Worldwide, researchers and governments are beginning to recognize the growing impact of HIV on women. Malaysia has seen its number of infected women rise to 74 times what it was in 1990. Canada and the United States have also experienced an increasing number of infected women, especially among minorities and post-menopausal women. Unfortunately, the outlook isn't rosy for homosexuals in America either. Activists have long warned that the gay community risked growing complacent, and that complacency leading to a rise in cases among the MSM community. Well, there is now evidence of an increase in new cases among gay and bisexual men. This study excluded 18 states, including New York and California, which top the list for total AIDS cases nationwide, due to confidentiality procedures in those states. Looking for good news? That's one thing I like about writing and talking about AIDS is that there are always hopeful stories amongst the bad news. The West African nation of Mauritania finally got its first AIDS testing site. Check that same article for news about how the neighboring country of Senegal has been a success story. Also, India is trying the novel approach of giving away condoms with liquor and textbook purchases (an approach that would probably eliminate 90% of STD transmission and unwanted pregnancies on the campus of my Alma Mater). Singapore, a nation known for its limitations on personal liberties, has made moves towards requiring HIV testing for all pregnant women and couples planning on getting married. Finally, the hard-hit African nation of Namibia has finally started to see a decrease in HIV infections. Thanks for reading. Send me your questions and comments, and remember to be safe. Post a comment in response: |
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