World YWCA | Women's News | Articles | HIV report shows need for female controlled HIV prevention

New HIV and AIDS figures show urgent need for increase of female controlled prevention methods

published: 22 Nov 2006 — 15:27

last modified: 27 Nov 2006 — 16:17

world ywca

from Geneva, Switzerland

a demonstration on correct use of the female condom

HIV continues to affect women disproportionately, a UNAIDS/WHO update released on November 21, 2006 confirms. The Women and AIDS Facts and Figures 2006, a component of the UNAIDS/WHO 2006 AIDS Epidemic Update, shows that globally more adult women than ever before are now living with HIV.

The figures show the urgent need for an increase in female controlled HIV prevention methods that can be used by women in sexual relationships or in settings where the use of traditional prevention methods are difficult.

In Ghana, the figures indicate that married women were almost three times more likely to be HIV-infected than women who had never been married. Similarly, in Thailand a third of new infections were among married women. In Cambodia, 40% of married women surveyed reported fear that their husbands would infect them with HIV.

In some regions, the prevalence of HIV is highest among young women under 24 years. In Swaziland, although first sex is increasingly delayed, once sexual activity begins, women regardless of their age are 39% more likely to be infected than young men of the same age.

However, knowledge in prevention of sexually transmitted infections seems to have minimal impact on the prevalence of HIV among young women. In Malawi, where only one in four young women had good knowledge of prevention methods compared to more than one in two of young men, women are 13% more likely to be infected than men. Yet, in Lesotho, where the trend of knowledge is reversed with 26% of young women showing a good understanding of HIV prevention compared to 18% of young men, 40% of women above the age of 24 are likely to be HIV positive.

Empowering women to exercise more control over sex negotiation through use of female controlled protection methods such as female condoms and microbicides is particularly important in responding to the HIV pandemic. HIV prevention is one of the strategies the YWCA adopts in its HIV and AIDS programmes and more specifically, the promotion of the female condom.

“When women can protect themselves from HIV infections they have an increased sense of self worth,” says Dr. Musimbi Kanyoro, General Secretary of the World YWCA, “The female condom is an effective and safe prevention method, it offers an additional option that enables women to control and protect themselves from HIV.”

Report : "AIDS Epidemic Update: December 2006"

Download : UNAIDS/WHO "AIDS Epidemic Update: December 2006"

Published by : UNAIDS/WHO

Published : 2006