| April 2000 May |  |
NUMBER EIGHT |
| HIV AND WOMEN: A SPECIAL REPORT |
         Over 2500 women—scientists, activists, positive women, journalists, local politicians—and a few men attended the 1999 National Conference on Women and HIV/AIDS in Los Angeles in October, a celebration of the strength and diversity of a growing community. Pictured here from L-R (top:): Florence Ortiz, Enid Vasquez, Serena Paigne; (middle) Margarita Carrasquillo, Arlenda Collins, Consuela Caldwell; (bottom) Carolyn Bailey, Maria Robles, Natascha Dwire. |
An estimated 160,000 women in the United States may be living with HIV, based on very loose federal estimates. The exact number is difficult to pinpoint, but we do know that 30 percent of new infections now occur in women, the majority in women of color who are often poor and lack insurance or access to decent medical care, including HIV therapies. The virus is increasingly striking teenage girls and older women who are unaware of their vulnerability. Abroad, in hard-hit regions like sub-Saharan Africa, the situation is simply staggering, with at least 12.2 million women exposed to the virus—and many dying—without access to even basic medicines. For our special report, we’ve looked at emerging issues for women with HIV, and what is being done to address the critical gender gap that exists in HIV education, prevention, treatment, and care.
—ACD |
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| April 2000 May Copyright © 2000 HIV Plus All rights reserved. Last modified 3/28/2000. |
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