By, Guy Hubbard, UNICEF, April 16, 2008
For the past eight months, 34-year-old Regina, a mother in Zambia’s Luapula Province, has been waiting anxiously for the final test results that will decide her daughter’s future. It is possible that her child may test positive for HIV.
Thankfully, Regina's local clinic runs a Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission (PMTCT) programme. By providing both the mother and newborn child with doses of the drug Neviropene, the programme can reduce the chance of the virus being transmitted to her child.
“During childbirth, they gave me and my baby Neviropene and because of that I hope that my baby will be HIV-negative,” said Regina.
A lack of resources
Most clinics in Luapula do not provide PMTCT services. In fact, most are not even able to provide HIV testing, even though Zambia suffers from one of the world’s highest rates of HIV.
This lack of resources means that transmission of the virus from mother to child remains alarmingly high.
“There are some of my patients who we suspect have HIV and their babies died after being delivered,” said nurse Regina Olwita. “I think about 10 per cent of my patients would need PMTCT.”
Due to the lack of proper services, health workers in rural areas like Luapula have often been forced to watch helplessly as babies continue to be born with the virus, despite the fact that effective and affordable PMTCT programmes are available elsewhere.
Now, thanks to an historic agreement between UNICEF, non-governmental organization Family Health International and the Zambian Ministry of Health, PMTCT programmes are being established in all Luapula’s rural clinics.
Life-saving services
The initial rollout of the programme will include antiretroviral treatment for both pregnant women and children, as well as the training of health workers and other associated services.
“This is important because women do not go out of their area for antenatal services so you have to offer PMTCT at every place that they go to,” said Zambian Country Director of Family Health International, Cathy Thompson. “By expanding these services we will be able to reach 90 per cent of people in Luapula province.”
Children have to be eight months old to undergo the final test. Yet despite the agonizing wait, Regina remains optimistic. With the new PMTCT programme, mothers living with HIV throughout Luapula Province will have hope for their children's future.
Source: http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/zambia_43579.html
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Stigma major obstacle to HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment for women
By, Rosanne Skirble, VOA News, April 3, 2008
A new survey finds that women living with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, face high levels of social stigma. Susan Blumenthal, senior policy and medical advisor for amfAR, the foundation for AIDS Research that released the national survey, says stigma is a major obstacle to the treatment and care of women infected with the virus. "In part because of more poverty, fewer resources and the social inequities that surround women's lives in many societies."
The majority of Americans surveyed said they would be uncomfortable having an HIV-positive woman as a healthcare or childcare provider. According to the findings 68 percent would be uncomfortable having an HIV-positive dentist; 57 percent would be uncomfortable having an HIV-positive woman as their physician, and 27 percent would be uncomfortable working closely with an HIV-positive woman. One in five said they would not even be comfortable having an HIV-positive woman as a close friend, and few Americans believe that HIV-positive women should have children.
The majority of Americans have pervasive negative views of women with the AIDS virus
Blumenthal says these attitudes reflect persistent, widespread misunderstanding of how the HIV virus is transmitted. She believes the way to combat such misconceptions is to bolster education and communication. "And yet our survey results reveal that less than one-third of Americans discuss HIV with their spouse or partner. And less than one-fifth discuss HIV with potential sexual partners, which is a real problem in terms of preventing this disease."
Blumenthal says another way to reduce the stigma associated with being an HIV-positive woman is to integrate AIDS testing into general medical practice. She says 65 percent of those surveyed supported routine AIDS testing, although she feels respondents may have assumed that the testing occurs more frequently than it actually does. "Sixty-seven mistakenly assumed that they are automatically screened for HIV when they are tested for other sexually transmitted infections. And 50 percent believeed that women are automatically tested during prenatal exams."
Women accounted for 27 percent of new HIV/AIDS diagnoses in 2005, up from 8 percent in 1985.
Source: http://www.voanews.com/english/Science/2008-04-03-voa44.cfm
A new survey finds that women living with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, face high levels of social stigma. Susan Blumenthal, senior policy and medical advisor for amfAR, the foundation for AIDS Research that released the national survey, says stigma is a major obstacle to the treatment and care of women infected with the virus. "In part because of more poverty, fewer resources and the social inequities that surround women's lives in many societies."
The majority of Americans surveyed said they would be uncomfortable having an HIV-positive woman as a healthcare or childcare provider. According to the findings 68 percent would be uncomfortable having an HIV-positive dentist; 57 percent would be uncomfortable having an HIV-positive woman as their physician, and 27 percent would be uncomfortable working closely with an HIV-positive woman. One in five said they would not even be comfortable having an HIV-positive woman as a close friend, and few Americans believe that HIV-positive women should have children.
The majority of Americans have pervasive negative views of women with the AIDS virus
Blumenthal says these attitudes reflect persistent, widespread misunderstanding of how the HIV virus is transmitted. She believes the way to combat such misconceptions is to bolster education and communication. "And yet our survey results reveal that less than one-third of Americans discuss HIV with their spouse or partner. And less than one-fifth discuss HIV with potential sexual partners, which is a real problem in terms of preventing this disease."
Blumenthal says another way to reduce the stigma associated with being an HIV-positive woman is to integrate AIDS testing into general medical practice. She says 65 percent of those surveyed supported routine AIDS testing, although she feels respondents may have assumed that the testing occurs more frequently than it actually does. "Sixty-seven mistakenly assumed that they are automatically screened for HIV when they are tested for other sexually transmitted infections. And 50 percent believeed that women are automatically tested during prenatal exams."
Women accounted for 27 percent of new HIV/AIDS diagnoses in 2005, up from 8 percent in 1985.
Source: http://www.voanews.com/english/Science/2008-04-03-voa44.cfm
Monday, March 31, 2008
HIV-positive women not likely to reveal condition
By, Sarah Krouse, ajc.com, March 31, 2008
HIV-positive women often do not reveal their diagnosis to current or possible sexual partners, to close friends, or to potential employers because of the stigma attached to the disease, according to a survey released Monday.
"Despite 25 years of progress in diagnosing and treating the disease, one in five Americans would not be comfortable with having an HIV-positive woman as a close friend," said Susan Blumenthal, senior policy and medical adviser for the American Foundation for AIDS Research, or amfAR.
Factors such as fear of contracting the disease, the belief that HIV/AIDS is a result of promiscuity or moral fault, and the severity of the disease all contribute to the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS, participants at a news conference said. Shame and blame were identified as two major obstacles for the 15.4 million HIV-positive women and girls worldwide.
"Women are the ones living in secret," said Regan Hofmann, editor in chief of POZ Magazine, a publication for people living with or affected by HIV/AIDS. "Women are terrified, women of all colors, of all socio-economic statuses."
Laura Nyblade, senior social scientist for the International Center for Research on Women, said, "Women are extremely vulnerable in social circles." She said because society has "an irrational fear of contracting AIDS from everyday contact," women often do not share their diagnosis for fear of being rejected by their friends and peers.
The amfAR survey revealed that a majority of Americans are uncomfortable with having an HIV-positive woman as a health-care or child-care provider. The panel discussed the importance of education and reaching out to policy makers to help remove the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS.
Hofmann said sex education must also be changed in order to reduce this stigma.
"The federal government prevents sexual education other than abstinence in some states, which is fine, but many young people think vaginal sex is the only real kind of sex. We need to redefine what this abstinence is. We have a lot of re-educating to do," she said.
An important part of preventing more women from contracting HIV is discussing the disease, according to Hoffman. "We did it with breast cancer, no one talked about it for so long. We can do it with HIV," she said.
"Women often times don't want to hear about heterosexual women with HIV because it then becomes something real that they have to worry about," said Hoffman. She stressed the importance of dialogue, especially the promotion of protected sex and discussing HIV status with future sexual partners.
Source: http://www.ajc.com/health/content/health/stories/2008/03/31/HIV_WOMEN01.html
HIV-positive women often do not reveal their diagnosis to current or possible sexual partners, to close friends, or to potential employers because of the stigma attached to the disease, according to a survey released Monday.
"Despite 25 years of progress in diagnosing and treating the disease, one in five Americans would not be comfortable with having an HIV-positive woman as a close friend," said Susan Blumenthal, senior policy and medical adviser for the American Foundation for AIDS Research, or amfAR.
Factors such as fear of contracting the disease, the belief that HIV/AIDS is a result of promiscuity or moral fault, and the severity of the disease all contribute to the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS, participants at a news conference said. Shame and blame were identified as two major obstacles for the 15.4 million HIV-positive women and girls worldwide.
"Women are the ones living in secret," said Regan Hofmann, editor in chief of POZ Magazine, a publication for people living with or affected by HIV/AIDS. "Women are terrified, women of all colors, of all socio-economic statuses."
Laura Nyblade, senior social scientist for the International Center for Research on Women, said, "Women are extremely vulnerable in social circles." She said because society has "an irrational fear of contracting AIDS from everyday contact," women often do not share their diagnosis for fear of being rejected by their friends and peers.
The amfAR survey revealed that a majority of Americans are uncomfortable with having an HIV-positive woman as a health-care or child-care provider. The panel discussed the importance of education and reaching out to policy makers to help remove the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS.
Hofmann said sex education must also be changed in order to reduce this stigma.
"The federal government prevents sexual education other than abstinence in some states, which is fine, but many young people think vaginal sex is the only real kind of sex. We need to redefine what this abstinence is. We have a lot of re-educating to do," she said.
An important part of preventing more women from contracting HIV is discussing the disease, according to Hoffman. "We did it with breast cancer, no one talked about it for so long. We can do it with HIV," she said.
"Women often times don't want to hear about heterosexual women with HIV because it then becomes something real that they have to worry about," said Hoffman. She stressed the importance of dialogue, especially the promotion of protected sex and discussing HIV status with future sexual partners.
Source: http://www.ajc.com/health/content/health/stories/2008/03/31/HIV_WOMEN01.html
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Women's Rights are human rights - The right to adequate health care
By, Jamaica Gleaner, March 31, 2008
Many women and girls in Jamaica who are infected with HIV face discrimination. Some children living with HIV/AIDS report that they cannot trust caregivers for fear that their personal information will be revealed to others.
Some 20,000 children in Jamaica are affected by HIV/AIDS and young women in the Caribbean between 15 and 24 are up to six times more likely to be infected with HIV than men.
CEDAW recommends that the Jamaican Government target adolescents to combat HIV/AIDS, adopt measures or get rid of discrimination against women and girls infected with HIV, and raise awareness of issues related to women's health, including their sexual and reproductive health and rights.
The August 2006 report on Jamaica of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women noted that while the Government of Jamaica was to be commended on its work on HIV and AIDS prevention and improvement of women's sexual health and reproductive rights, the Committee noted, with concern, the increasingly high rates of HIV/AIDS infection in adolescent girls.
The committee called on the Jamaican Government to monitor, systematically, women's access to health care, including primary and secondary health-care services, and to desegregate such data by urban and rural areas, and by age, and use such data as a basis for planning health-care delivery.
Noting that abortion is one of the five leading causes of maternal mortality, and noting the existence of the 1975 Ministry of Health policy on abortion, the committee expressed concern that the policy is not widely known or implemented, and services for the provision of safe abortions may not be available.
The committee also requested that the state adopt measures to eliminate discrimination against women and girls infected with HIV/AIDS.
Excerpted from 'CEDAW for Jamaicans', produced by the Women's Resource and Outreach Centre, Kingston, and the August 2006 report on Jamaica of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women 36th session. Email wroc@cwjamaica.com.
Source: http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20080331/flair/flair2.html
Many women and girls in Jamaica who are infected with HIV face discrimination. Some children living with HIV/AIDS report that they cannot trust caregivers for fear that their personal information will be revealed to others.
Some 20,000 children in Jamaica are affected by HIV/AIDS and young women in the Caribbean between 15 and 24 are up to six times more likely to be infected with HIV than men.
CEDAW recommends that the Jamaican Government target adolescents to combat HIV/AIDS, adopt measures or get rid of discrimination against women and girls infected with HIV, and raise awareness of issues related to women's health, including their sexual and reproductive health and rights.
The August 2006 report on Jamaica of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women noted that while the Government of Jamaica was to be commended on its work on HIV and AIDS prevention and improvement of women's sexual health and reproductive rights, the Committee noted, with concern, the increasingly high rates of HIV/AIDS infection in adolescent girls.
The committee called on the Jamaican Government to monitor, systematically, women's access to health care, including primary and secondary health-care services, and to desegregate such data by urban and rural areas, and by age, and use such data as a basis for planning health-care delivery.
Noting that abortion is one of the five leading causes of maternal mortality, and noting the existence of the 1975 Ministry of Health policy on abortion, the committee expressed concern that the policy is not widely known or implemented, and services for the provision of safe abortions may not be available.
The committee also requested that the state adopt measures to eliminate discrimination against women and girls infected with HIV/AIDS.
Excerpted from 'CEDAW for Jamaicans', produced by the Women's Resource and Outreach Centre, Kingston, and the August 2006 report on Jamaica of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women 36th session. Email wroc@cwjamaica.com.
Source: http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20080331/flair/flair2.html
Granny, 73: My life with HIV
By, Carolyn Kissoon, Trinidad News, March 29, 2008
Great-grandmother, Cynthia Pascal, has been living with the deadly HIV virus for five years. And although her lifestyle has changed, Pascal has not allowed the virus to control her daily routine.
She still cares for her seven children, 16 grand children and six great grand children. And she is still an active member of the community church.
Pascal, 73, stood smiling before an audience at City Hall, Harris Promenade, San Fernando yesterday and spoke about living with the HIV virus.
"I did not know I had the virus. I was getting slimmer and slimmer and I thought it was my kidney. Doctors could not tell me what was happening until I collapsed one day and was taken to the San Fernando General Hospital. There I was diagnosed with the virus. AIDS is not a nice thing to be living with. But I did not allow it to control my life," she said.
Pascal, of Siparia, pleaded with youths to have only one sexual partner. "I want to warn young people to stick to one partner. Don't go jumping from here to there it does not pay," she said.
Pascal said the greatest pain for people with the virus was discrimination. "I have not really experienced discrimination, but I know what it can do -it can kill you," she said.
Pascal was speaking at a symposium hosted by the Ministry of Social Development to commemorate International Women's Day. The symposium was titled "Keeping the Promise: An Agenda for Action on Women and HIV".
Dr Amery Browne, Minister of Social Development, applauded Pascal, for speaking about living with the disease. "It is not easy to step forward and reveal one's status before a large national audience. Ms Pascal you are extremely courageous and you still have so much to contribute to our nation," he said.
The function was attended by Central and South staff of the ministry.
Browne said there were currently some 20,000 to 30,000 people in Trinidad and Tobago living with HIV. The majority of the new infections occur among individuals in their reproductive years, 15 to 44, he said. Browne added that national statistics also indicated that women account for 45 per cent of new HIV cases.
Browne challenged his staff to take on the responsibility to pass out information to the men and women of the nation. "As minister I will not tolerate any ill-treatment or hostility from my staff towards any persons living with HIV," he said.
Browne said researchers have found that the root causes of HIV/AIDS were violence, poverty, inequality and violations of economic, legal, educational and health rights.
He said if Trinidad and Tobago was to win the battle against the spread of HIV, the first step should be to show compassion for all those infected by HIV and Aids.
Source: http://www.trinidadexpress.com/index.pl/article_news?id=161300431
Great-grandmother, Cynthia Pascal, has been living with the deadly HIV virus for five years. And although her lifestyle has changed, Pascal has not allowed the virus to control her daily routine.
She still cares for her seven children, 16 grand children and six great grand children. And she is still an active member of the community church.
Pascal, 73, stood smiling before an audience at City Hall, Harris Promenade, San Fernando yesterday and spoke about living with the HIV virus.
"I did not know I had the virus. I was getting slimmer and slimmer and I thought it was my kidney. Doctors could not tell me what was happening until I collapsed one day and was taken to the San Fernando General Hospital. There I was diagnosed with the virus. AIDS is not a nice thing to be living with. But I did not allow it to control my life," she said.
Pascal, of Siparia, pleaded with youths to have only one sexual partner. "I want to warn young people to stick to one partner. Don't go jumping from here to there it does not pay," she said.
Pascal said the greatest pain for people with the virus was discrimination. "I have not really experienced discrimination, but I know what it can do -it can kill you," she said.
Pascal was speaking at a symposium hosted by the Ministry of Social Development to commemorate International Women's Day. The symposium was titled "Keeping the Promise: An Agenda for Action on Women and HIV".
Dr Amery Browne, Minister of Social Development, applauded Pascal, for speaking about living with the disease. "It is not easy to step forward and reveal one's status before a large national audience. Ms Pascal you are extremely courageous and you still have so much to contribute to our nation," he said.
The function was attended by Central and South staff of the ministry.
Browne said there were currently some 20,000 to 30,000 people in Trinidad and Tobago living with HIV. The majority of the new infections occur among individuals in their reproductive years, 15 to 44, he said. Browne added that national statistics also indicated that women account for 45 per cent of new HIV cases.
Browne challenged his staff to take on the responsibility to pass out information to the men and women of the nation. "As minister I will not tolerate any ill-treatment or hostility from my staff towards any persons living with HIV," he said.
Browne said researchers have found that the root causes of HIV/AIDS were violence, poverty, inequality and violations of economic, legal, educational and health rights.
He said if Trinidad and Tobago was to win the battle against the spread of HIV, the first step should be to show compassion for all those infected by HIV and Aids.
Source: http://www.trinidadexpress.com/index.pl/article_news?id=161300431
Thursday, March 27, 2008
61% of new HIV/AIDS infections are women
By, Inalegwu Shaibu, Vanguard, March 27, 2008
Nigeria: The National Agency For The Control of AIDS (NACA) has revealed that an estimated sixty one percent of Nigerians that are newly infected with HIV/AIDS are women and young girls.
The Director General of NACA, Professor Babatunde Oshotimehin who gave the information in Abuja at a One-day workshop organised by the agency to strengthen its relationship with the National Council of Women Societies (NCWS), said the country stands the risk of losing an important part of her population to the scourge of HIV if the situation is not quickly addressed.
He said, “We have to appreciate why it is important for women to be in the fore front of the battle against the spread of HIV/AIDS. Today, Africa houses seventy percent of HIV/AIDS infections, with sixty-one percent of new infections in Nigeria being women and young girls.
“Today, the burden of the disease in terms of care and support of those living with the virus, is the responsibility of the women, across our continent. So when you look at the statistics and you look at how the disease affects our women, it is important that we put women at the centre of the control of this virus.”
He called on women all over the country to take up the fight against the spread of HIV/AIDS, while decrying the gender distance between men and women even though majority of the transmission of the HIV virus occur between men and women.
The NACA boss said women are getting more infected than men because of their inability to speak out against some of sexual practices that has put them in disadvantaged positions.
His words, “It is also important to note before we forget that most of the transmission of the virus occurs between women and men. We also appreciate that with the gender distance between our men and our women, it is difficult for our women to protect themselves or to ensure that they will not get infected.”
“In our culture, it is hard for a wife to say no to our husband. We are talking here to women of substance who are enlightened. But when we go down to our homestead, where these women don’t have the education you have, it becomes even more difficult to negotiate safe sex.”
He added that the spread of the disease could be easily tamed if women are giving more right to negotiate sex with their partners.
The national president of NCWS Mrs. Ramatu Bala Usman in her remarks said the involvement of the women in the fight against HIV/AIDS would help reduce the spread of the disease.
She said, “It is in our collective interest to fight the spread of HIV/AIDS because we are the most infected and affected. We have about 250 groups that are affiliated to us and with all of them we will carry the campaign to the grassroots.
The Society is not just composed of educated elites but the also include the uneducated women in the rural areas. It is easier for us to penetrate the rural areas because we speak their language and they understand us
more.”
Source: http://www.vanguardngr.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5481&Itemid=47
Nigeria: The National Agency For The Control of AIDS (NACA) has revealed that an estimated sixty one percent of Nigerians that are newly infected with HIV/AIDS are women and young girls.
The Director General of NACA, Professor Babatunde Oshotimehin who gave the information in Abuja at a One-day workshop organised by the agency to strengthen its relationship with the National Council of Women Societies (NCWS), said the country stands the risk of losing an important part of her population to the scourge of HIV if the situation is not quickly addressed.
He said, “We have to appreciate why it is important for women to be in the fore front of the battle against the spread of HIV/AIDS. Today, Africa houses seventy percent of HIV/AIDS infections, with sixty-one percent of new infections in Nigeria being women and young girls.
“Today, the burden of the disease in terms of care and support of those living with the virus, is the responsibility of the women, across our continent. So when you look at the statistics and you look at how the disease affects our women, it is important that we put women at the centre of the control of this virus.”
He called on women all over the country to take up the fight against the spread of HIV/AIDS, while decrying the gender distance between men and women even though majority of the transmission of the HIV virus occur between men and women.
The NACA boss said women are getting more infected than men because of their inability to speak out against some of sexual practices that has put them in disadvantaged positions.
His words, “It is also important to note before we forget that most of the transmission of the virus occurs between women and men. We also appreciate that with the gender distance between our men and our women, it is difficult for our women to protect themselves or to ensure that they will not get infected.”
“In our culture, it is hard for a wife to say no to our husband. We are talking here to women of substance who are enlightened. But when we go down to our homestead, where these women don’t have the education you have, it becomes even more difficult to negotiate safe sex.”
He added that the spread of the disease could be easily tamed if women are giving more right to negotiate sex with their partners.
The national president of NCWS Mrs. Ramatu Bala Usman in her remarks said the involvement of the women in the fight against HIV/AIDS would help reduce the spread of the disease.
She said, “It is in our collective interest to fight the spread of HIV/AIDS because we are the most infected and affected. We have about 250 groups that are affiliated to us and with all of them we will carry the campaign to the grassroots.
The Society is not just composed of educated elites but the also include the uneducated women in the rural areas. It is easier for us to penetrate the rural areas because we speak their language and they understand us
more.”
Source: http://www.vanguardngr.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5481&Itemid=47
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Why tuberculosis matters to women’s health
By, Chief K.Masimba Biriwasha, Zivizo.com, March 24, 2008
Tuberculosis (TB) has a major impact on women’s sexual reproductive health and that of their children.
For pregnant women living in areas with high TB infection rates, there are increased chances of transmission of TB to a child before, during delivery or after birth.
The disease, especially if associated with HIV, also accounts for a high incidence of maternal and infant mortality.
Unfortunately, there is little to no attention about women’s vulnerability in the current discussion and media blitz of a resurgent TB internationally, and in particular, sub-Saharan Africa.
In sub-Saharan Africa, TB is threatening to unravel public health developments gains around increased HIV awareness yet the solutions are not easy, particularly where they concern the well-being of women.
There is need for huge financial, human, research and technological investments to fight the problem, but such investments will work only if they radically put women’s health needs at the core.
More importantly is the need to align TB services and sexual reproductive health services, so that men and women know about the implications of the disease to their sexual lives and households.
In sub-Saharan Africa, however, there are pervasive systemic factors driving TB and drug resistance which cannot be ignored in the search of an effective solution to the problem.
A myriad of social and economic factors, as well as weaknesses in the health care system, inadequate laboratories combined with high HIV infection rates are fueling the resurgence of the TB in the region. Food insecurity, poor sanitation and overcrowding also contribute to the easy spread of the disease.
According to WHO, although Africa has only 11% of the world’s population, it accounts for more than a quarter of the global TB burden with an estimated 2.4 million TB cases and 540,000 TB deaths annually.
Governments in the region are grappling with inadequate infrastructure and the increasing threat of drug-resistant strains and co-infection with HIV.
HIV infection increases the likelihood of active TB more than 50-fold. An estimated one-third of the 24.5 million people living with HIV (PLHIV) in sub-Saharan Africa also have TB.
For women in the region, the prospect of a growing TB epidemic is harrowing, but discussion about the disease rarely sheds light nor seeks to address women’s specific needs.
Given the high rates of HIV infection among women in the region - the majority of people living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa (61% or 13,1 million) are women – it is clear that they are the largest group at threat to develop active TB, and more likely drug resistance.
Even with the availability of TB drugs women’s socio-economic status and gender roles including child-bearing and caring puts them at high risk of both HIV and TB infection.
For many women in the region, the costs required to access health care centers for TB treatment are usually out of reach due to poverty and undermined socio-economic positions.
The social stigma associated with a TB diagnosis and its association with HIV forces both men and women to delay going to get tested for the disease. In some cases, when men in marital relationships test positive for TB, they are likely to withhold the information, thereby increasing the likelihood to spread the disease to both their partner and children.
Moreover, women in the region are largely responsible for the upkeep of the family, including looking after children, which may also affect consistent uptake of TB drugs. When a woman is infected with TB, the likelihood of spreading the disease to young children is very high.
An additional concern for women is that the uptake of TB drugs interferes with contraceptive use, pregnancy, and fertility.
According to researchers, Rimfampicin, a key component of TB treatment can reduce the effectiveness of oral contraceptive pills and possibly other hormonal methods, such as implants, injectables and emergency contraception.
TB in pregnant women not only increases the rate of maternal mortality, but is also a major factor contributing to the risk of mother-to-child transmission of the disease.
A study conducted in South Africa revealed mother-to child-transmission of TB in 15% of infants born to a study cohort of pregnant women in which 77% were HIV-infected. Maternal HIV/TB coinfection also increases the risk of mother-to child transmission of HIV.
Screening and treatment for TB in pregnant women at antenatal clinics must therefore be a major public health priority in the region. Information about TB needs to be an integral component of sexual reproductive health services.
To be precise, women infected with TB need to be empowered so that they can take control of their own care and lives.
Source: http://zivizo.com/2008/03/24/why-tuberculosis-matters-to-women%e2%80%99s-health/
Tuberculosis (TB) has a major impact on women’s sexual reproductive health and that of their children.
For pregnant women living in areas with high TB infection rates, there are increased chances of transmission of TB to a child before, during delivery or after birth.
The disease, especially if associated with HIV, also accounts for a high incidence of maternal and infant mortality.
Unfortunately, there is little to no attention about women’s vulnerability in the current discussion and media blitz of a resurgent TB internationally, and in particular, sub-Saharan Africa.
In sub-Saharan Africa, TB is threatening to unravel public health developments gains around increased HIV awareness yet the solutions are not easy, particularly where they concern the well-being of women.
There is need for huge financial, human, research and technological investments to fight the problem, but such investments will work only if they radically put women’s health needs at the core.
More importantly is the need to align TB services and sexual reproductive health services, so that men and women know about the implications of the disease to their sexual lives and households.
In sub-Saharan Africa, however, there are pervasive systemic factors driving TB and drug resistance which cannot be ignored in the search of an effective solution to the problem.
A myriad of social and economic factors, as well as weaknesses in the health care system, inadequate laboratories combined with high HIV infection rates are fueling the resurgence of the TB in the region. Food insecurity, poor sanitation and overcrowding also contribute to the easy spread of the disease.
According to WHO, although Africa has only 11% of the world’s population, it accounts for more than a quarter of the global TB burden with an estimated 2.4 million TB cases and 540,000 TB deaths annually.
Governments in the region are grappling with inadequate infrastructure and the increasing threat of drug-resistant strains and co-infection with HIV.
HIV infection increases the likelihood of active TB more than 50-fold. An estimated one-third of the 24.5 million people living with HIV (PLHIV) in sub-Saharan Africa also have TB.
For women in the region, the prospect of a growing TB epidemic is harrowing, but discussion about the disease rarely sheds light nor seeks to address women’s specific needs.
Given the high rates of HIV infection among women in the region - the majority of people living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa (61% or 13,1 million) are women – it is clear that they are the largest group at threat to develop active TB, and more likely drug resistance.
Even with the availability of TB drugs women’s socio-economic status and gender roles including child-bearing and caring puts them at high risk of both HIV and TB infection.
For many women in the region, the costs required to access health care centers for TB treatment are usually out of reach due to poverty and undermined socio-economic positions.
The social stigma associated with a TB diagnosis and its association with HIV forces both men and women to delay going to get tested for the disease. In some cases, when men in marital relationships test positive for TB, they are likely to withhold the information, thereby increasing the likelihood to spread the disease to both their partner and children.
Moreover, women in the region are largely responsible for the upkeep of the family, including looking after children, which may also affect consistent uptake of TB drugs. When a woman is infected with TB, the likelihood of spreading the disease to young children is very high.
An additional concern for women is that the uptake of TB drugs interferes with contraceptive use, pregnancy, and fertility.
According to researchers, Rimfampicin, a key component of TB treatment can reduce the effectiveness of oral contraceptive pills and possibly other hormonal methods, such as implants, injectables and emergency contraception.
TB in pregnant women not only increases the rate of maternal mortality, but is also a major factor contributing to the risk of mother-to-child transmission of the disease.
A study conducted in South Africa revealed mother-to child-transmission of TB in 15% of infants born to a study cohort of pregnant women in which 77% were HIV-infected. Maternal HIV/TB coinfection also increases the risk of mother-to child transmission of HIV.
Screening and treatment for TB in pregnant women at antenatal clinics must therefore be a major public health priority in the region. Information about TB needs to be an integral component of sexual reproductive health services.
To be precise, women infected with TB need to be empowered so that they can take control of their own care and lives.
Source: http://zivizo.com/2008/03/24/why-tuberculosis-matters-to-women%e2%80%99s-health/
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