Title: Equitable access to HIV treatment for women and girls.

POPLINE Document Number: 195366

Author(s):

Fleischman J

Source citation:

Global AIDSLink, 2004 Apr-May;(85):13.

Abstract:

Recent international initiatives to provide antiretroviral (ARV) treatment in resource-poor countries have changed the landscape of the HIV/AIDS debate and signal an unprecedented new phase in the struggle against HIV/AIDS. With an estimated 40 million people living with HIV/AIDS and 14,000 new infections every day, access to treatment is a challenge of global proportions. In sub-Saharan Africa alone, almost 4.5 million people need antiretroviral treatment, yet only 100,000 are currently receiving it. To develop effective treatment programs, national governments, international donors and community stakeholders should ensure equitable access to HIV treatment and care, particularly for vulnerable populations such as women and girls. Integrating a gender approach in the rollout of treatment programs is a matter of urgency. In the worst affected countries of sub-Saharan Africa, women and girls account for 58 percent of those living with HIV/AIDS, and girls aged 15-19 are infected at rates up to four-to-seven times higher than boys, a disparity linked to sexual abuse, coercion, discrimination and impoverishment. In addition, gender-related barriers to health care are compounded by HIV/AIDS. The threats that HIV-positive women face upon disclosing their status - especially if they are the first to be identified as being HIV-positive and are blamed for bringing the virus into the household - in turn heighten their risk of violence, abandonment, and other forms of stigma and discrimination. Treatment initiatives provide an opportunity to address the violence and inequities that put women and girls at particular risk of HIV transmission, and thereby help to break the cycle that has led to the disproportionate impact on women and girls. (excerpt)

Keywords:

Developing Countries
Women
AIDS
Treatment
Antiretroviral Drugs
Health Services
Gender Issues
Obstacles
Delivery of Health Care
Program Accessibility
Demographic Factors
Population
HIV Infections
Viral Diseases
Diseases
Health
Organization and Administration
Program Evaluation
Programs