28 November 2002
Accra — As the countdown to World Aids Day on December 1 draws closer, more terrifying statistics are being released by the United Nations. Women, it seems are getting more infected than men. Because of the risk of passing the disease to the child in the womb, this new revelation means the disease is hitting at the very heart of procreation.
UNAids officials say the statistics reveal the changing face of the disease. Globally, women now account for just over 50% of those infected with HIV. However, the figure hides huge variations across the world. In Sub-Saharan Africa, 58% of those with HIV are women. In North Africa and the Middle East, they account for 55% of those infected. In the Caribbean, the figure is 50%. This compares to 25% in Western Europe and just 7% in Australia and New Zealand.
The biggest factor appears to be how HIV is transmitted. Women are most at risk in countries where heterosexual sex is the main mode of transmission. This is the case in Africa, the Middle East and the Caribbean. By comparison, HIV is mostly transmitted by men who have sex with men in Western Europe, Australia and New Zealand.
The UNAids report also reveals that in some countries young women are twice as likely to contract the disease compared to young men. In Sub-Saharan Africa up to 11% of women between the ages of 15 and 24 are believed to have the disease. This compares to less than 6% of men of the same age.
One of the reasons put forward by experts for this is the fact that young African women in search of security - socially and financially - tend to marry older men. Generally, in areas where HIV is widespread, older men are also more likely to have become infected. Young women, perhaps because of their need for financial and social security, are often unable to demand safer sex or to end relationships where they are at risk of infection.
However, a lack of public awareness about HIV is also a major problem. "Ignorance about sexual and reproductive health and HIV/Aids is widespread," the UNAids report states.
Some studies have shown that up to 80% of young women between the ages of 15 and 24 do not know enough to protect themselves against the disease. In addition, young women and girls are more prone to infection. Their cervix is susceptible to lesions.
A visit to the Fevers Unit of Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra reveals an almost hopeless situation as it is very clear that there are neither enough in-patient amenities nor the necessary anti-retroviral drugs for those infected.
Mrs Emily Kotey, Principal Nursing Officer, Fevers Unit said the Government is currently paying the expenses of those on admission, including food and drugs. Out patients, they are given prescriptions to buy the drugs on their own. And those who are financially handicapped, are given money from the HIV Comfort Fund, to take care of their drugs, transportation and sometimes food.
She said the Unit occasionally receives funds from individuals and organisations, who either donate to the HIV Comfort Fund that was established by people living with HIV, to cater for their transportation and food especially those neglected by their family, or to the Improvement Fund, which was established by the Unit for its improvement or care for patients. The churches also help occasionally.
"Due to over dependency on the funds, I will appeal to individuals and organisations to donate generously to the Unit," she said.
President Kufuor himself is the Chairman of Ghana's National AIDS Commission, but even with this high profile concern, the resources are just not enough to satisfy a sustained campaign of education, prevention and treatment.
The revelation that women are getting more infected in Africa cannot be good news to the economies of African countries where women overwhelmingly control aspects of the informal trade sector.
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