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Gender-based and mother-to-child infection
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) was discovered less than 40 years ago, but is already "the most serious of infectious disease challenges to public health”1 and continues to ravage lives across the world. An estimated 33 million people are currently infected with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)2 that causes AIDS and there are over 15 million children who have lost one or both of their parents to the disease.3
Spread through sexual intercourse, blood transfusions, sharing hypodermic needles, as well as from mother to child through pregnancy, birth or breastfeeding, HIV leaves no gender or age-group untouched. The virus breaks down the immune system and, consequently, the body becomes extremely vulnerable to infections, types of cancer and brain disorders. There is currently no cure.4
Every day, over 5700 people die from AIDS, and over half are women and children.5 Women are more susceptible to the disease for several reasons, the major one being gender discrimination: in many societies, women have little or no say about when and with whom they have sexual intercourse and due to high rates of illiteracy and a lack of basic education, many are unaware of the risks of infection.6 The majority of women living with the disease live in sub-Saharan Africa where AIDS is still the leading cause of death.7 It is also the only region in the world where there are more women than men infected. It is not surprising, then, that most women in these societies are excluded from basic health and sexual decision-making and that their level of education is one of the lowest, globally. This increase of the disease in women has led to alarming numbers of children contracting the virus. The most innocent of society are at risk to the disease simply by being born and breastfed. Out of the 2.5 million children living with AIDS, 90% live in sub-Saharan Africa and have the least access to medicines and basic healthcare.8 Often, mothers are not educated about the risks at which they put their children or, due to cultural stigmas and poverty, they continue to breastfeed even if they know they are HIV positive.9
Though there is no cure, there are antiretroviral drugs that prolong the lives of those infected by suppressing the virus and the progression of the disease. In pregnant women, the drugs reduce the possibility of infant infections by half,10 and with continued treatment the chances of children with HIV living to adulthood are high. In the developed world, these drugs are widely available; however, in much of the developing world, there is often no access whatsoever. Millennium Development Goal 6 is to “achieve, by 2010, universal access to treatment for HIV/AIDS for all those who need it”.11 This will be a difficult task: currently only 28% of those that need treatment in the developing world are receiving it.12
References:
1. "AIDS." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 19 Jun 2008 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AIDS>.
2. UNAIDS, World Health Organisation, "AIDS epidemic update, December 2007." ’07 Aids epidemic update. 2007.
3. UNICEF, "A call for equality."THE STATE OF THE WORLD'S CHILDREN 2007. 2006.
4. UNAIDS, World Health Organisation, "AIDS epidemic update, December 2007." ’07 Aids epidemic update. 2007.
5. UNAIDS, World Health Organisation, "AIDS epidemic update, December 2007." ’07 Aids epidemic update. 2007.
6. World Health Organisation, "HIV/AIDS Programme, Strengthening health services to fight HIV/AIDS." Antiretroviral drugs for treating pregnant women and preventing HIV infection in infants: towards Universal Access. Recommendations for a public health approach 2006 version 2006 5. 20 Jun 2008 www.who.int/hiv/pub/guidelines/pmtctguidelines3.pdf.
7. "UNICEF: Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and other diseases." UNICEF - Millenium Development Goals. UNICEF. 20 Jun 2008 www.unicef.org/mdg/disease.html.
8. "The UN Millenium Development Goals." The UN Millenium Development Goals. United Nations. 20 Jun 2008 www.un.org/millenniumgoals/.
9. "MDG MONITOR:: Goal :: Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Other Diseases." MDG MONITOR: Tracking the Millenium Development Goals. United Nations. 20 Jun 2008 www.mdgmonitor.org.
10. "UNICEF: Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and other diseases." UNICEF - Millenium Development Goals. UNICEF. 20 Jun 2008 www.unicef.org/mdg/disease.html.
11. "The UN Millenium Development Goals." The UN Millenium Development Goals. United Nations. 20 Jun 2008 www.un.org/millenniumgoals.
12. "MDG MONITOR:: Goal :: Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Other Diseases." MDG MONITOR: Tracking the Millenium Development Goals. United Nations. 20 Jun 2008 www.mdgmonitor.org.
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