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ACRIA Update
Winter 2008 - Vol. 17 No. 1
Focus on Gender: Women and HIV
Contents
Focus on Gender: Women and HIV
Even
after a quarter century of HIV/AIDS, and despite all of the education
programs about how the virus is transmitted and who is vulnerable, many
people still regard the disease as affecting mostly gay white men and
(usually male) intravenous drug users. One of the most overlooked
populations, in everything from education to prevention to treatment,
is women.
In the U.S. today, depending on where you live, women account for
between a quarter and a half of people living with HIV. But few
programs are designed with women’s specific needs in mind.
Worldwide, women are even more vulnerable, and have even fewer options.
In this issue, we describe some of the issues involving women who are
living with HIV or at risk of infection. In “HIV and Women Around
the World,” Luis Scaccabarrozzi provides an overview of the epidemic as
it affects women in the United States and abroad. His insightful
article highlights several specific vulnerabilities women face, from
powerlessness to negotiate safer sex practices, to domestic violence,
to lack of easily accessible healthcare. The facts are brought to
life in a Personal Perspective written by Mary, a brave South African
woman living with HIV and stigma and helping other women do the same.
Important policy issues are explored in an article by Kimberleigh
Smith, while articles by Dr. Mark Brennan and Rosa Bramble Weed examine
depression in older HIV-positive women and HIV among immigrant women.
Jane Fowler offers a concise listing of some facts and tips for women
who are infected or at risk.
Finally, one of the thorniest topics for women with HIV is
pregnancy. Can an HIV-positive woman have a successful pregnancy
and a healthy baby? What about a negative woman whose male
partner has the virus? Can a woman with HIV pass the virus to the
fetus in her womb? Should she have a vaginal birth, or plan a
C-section? What about breastfeeding? Vaughn Taylor and
Hanna Tessema examine the many complex issues facing pregnant women
with HIV and those who are considering having children. And Delia
G. shares her deeply personal story of learning first her HIV status
and then that she was pregnant, how she coped, and how she went on to
build a stable, loving – and healthy – family.
We hope that this special issue of ACRIA
Update will help dispel some myths about women and HIV and offer
insights into their special needs. As always, we welcome your
thoughts and comments.
by Daniel Tietz,
Editor-in-Chief
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