Posted on 07/09/2004 7:29:18 AM PDT by blam
US women getting HIV fastest in world
July 09 2004 at 10:57AM
By Michael Mathes
Bangkok - The burden of HIV is shifting to the female population in the United States at a faster rate than anywhere else in the world amid a bombardment of cultural messages that "sex is cool", the United Nations warned on Friday.
Changing sexual behaviour and pressure on women to have sex without condoms has contributed to the proportion of women among Americans with HIV and Aids rising from 20 to 25 percent, the United Nations Development Fund for Women said.
Unifem said the trend was a reflection of the "feminisation" of Aids around the globe, with women comprising 48 percent of the estimated 35.7 million adults living with HIV and Aids - and the proportion is rising.
'A one third rise is very dramatic'
However, the greatest crisis remains in sub-Saharan Africa where nearly 60 percent of people living with the virus are women.
Stephanie Urdang, an adviser for Unifem, said the epidemic was thought to be under control in the US where antiretroviral drugs were widely available but the number of women with HIV and Aids leapt from 180 000 in 2001 to 240 000 two years later.
"A one third rise is very dramatic," she said ahead of the fifteenth International Aids Conference which starts on Sunday with up to 20 000 people expected to attend.
But the overall rate of HIV and Aids in the US stands at 0.6 percent, considerably lower than rates of nearly 40 percent that have been seen in the worst hit countries of sub-Saharan Africa.
American popular culture is awash with sexual innuendo with provocative sexuality in its mass media and easy access to Internet pornography.
"This is having an enormous impact on young people and their minds," Urdang said. "Among young people in America, there is a feeling that sex is cool, that it's okay to be growing up and to be sexually experienced."
The epidemic has increased most dramatically among African American and Hispanic women, who together represent less than one fourth of all women in the US but accounted for 80 percent of all Aids cases reported among women in 2000.
Fueling the rising HIV rates in the developed world is the assumption among youths that HIV is easily treatable with drugs, or it remains merely a disease afflicting high-risk groups, including homosexual men and injecting drug users.
Unifem took aim at the US education system, saying schools have failed to inform students about protection, focusing instead on abstinence and faithfulness.
"When education is based solely on abstinence, that's all people get. Then in the heat of the moment when they give up their virginity pledge, they have no knowledge of how to deal with the moment," Urdang said.
"Women are biologically and socially more vulnerable than men," Urdang said. "If women were able to negotiate safe sex we would have a disease and not a raging epidemic." - Sapa-AFP
They aren't able?
This is why abstinence until marriage is a great idea. 100% fail proof -- unlike condoms.
Just say NO! Heh..
Negotiate safe sex? What's there to negotiate? The legs stay closed until certain conditions are met by the other party...
There is always an upside to any story. This increase in HIV among women will create more conservative/Monagamous women by default.
The druggies/loose women will be killed off by the disease or at least may change some womens views on sleeping around without commitment
"Unifem took aim at the US education system saying schools have failed to inform students about protection focusing instead on abstinence and faithfulness."
That behavior is what stops aids. What the hell is the matter with these people? It's a fact that aids is spread by behavior. Avoid the behavior and keep from getting the disease. Pure and simple.
Ping.
Pardon my ignorance, but does anyone have any thoughts on why this is? Is there some sort of link with melanin of which I am unaware, or is something else at play here?
Maybe Edwards should initiate a class action lawsuit against MTV and BTV? :-)
Bangkok - interesting choice of a city of origin for this story...
"sex is cool"- thats exactly what my bumper sticker says!
I was watching Mtv (i know, im sorry) they were talking about young adults (generally black) who are "straight" and have girlfriends but go to clubs and have gay sex , its called being on the DL (or something like that). Anyway I never heard of this before (I am neither black nor gay) but they said its pretty widespread. It probably has something to do with spread of AIDS.
-Just say HO!
No article is going to touch why - because it gets into behaviors, cultures and recent immigrants. And obviously, certain behaviors lead to more disease which might lead to the discussion that a certain cultural aspects are "bad."
And we can't have that in our multicultural America..
Hmmm. What does this mean? There are many possibilities.
25% of American women have HIV?
25% of those Americans with HIV are women?
25% of new cases among Americans are women?
Sure. It is probably, once again, a socio-economic phenomena. Blacks and Hispanics have the highest poverty rate, poverty tends to correlate very well with intelligence, ergo, more stupid chicks in those groups.
Disclaimer: I am a "member" of one of those said groups, and I stand by my statement. It is an observation I make every day. Having said THAT, being a member of a minority group doesnt neccessarily make me a better judge, but it should keep the liberals from screaming bloody murder.
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