Women more vulnerable to new HIV infections

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HealthBY COREY ROBINSON Observer staff reporter robinsonc@jamaicaobserver.comTuesday, August 06, 2013

WOMEN continue to account for a significantly larger proportion of new Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infections, a cause for national concern, said Health Minister Dr Fenton Ferguson.Speaking Tuesday at the opening ceremony of the Global Validation and Lessons Learned Workshop of Support for Gender Equality in the context of HIV/AIDS, Ferguson said that the trend reflects negatively on gender equality in Jamaica.The ceremony was held at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in Kingston.“Woman account for a significantly larger number of HIV infections in Jamaica in terms of incidents and a significantly larger proportion of people living with HIV,” said Ferguson. “HIV statistics also tells us that females 10 to 29 years old represent an increasing proportion of HIV tests since the emergence of HIV in Jamaica in 1982.”“This is cause for concern as when we put the numbers against the backdrop of the social determinants of health such as education, poverty and environmental happenstance we are left with a situation that will affect women’s HIV risk-taking behaviours,” said Ferguson.Tuesday’s ceremony was the culmination of the 51-month long programme, which was aimed at strengthening national commitment and action for integrating gender equality and human rights in HIV response. The programme was carried out in five countries: Cambodia, Jamaica, Kenya, Papua New Guinea and Rwanda.Statistics from the initiative revealed that at least 32,000 Jamaicans are living with HIV, and that there is an overall lack of data on HIV prevalence among women and girls. The programme also revealed that the percentage of women infected with HIV has increased from 30 per cent in the 1980s to 45 per cent between 2000 and 2009.Young women between 15-29 appear especially vulnerable, while women between the ages of 20-24 are one and a half times more likely to be infected than men in the same age group. Girls 15-19 are three times more likely to be infected than boys their age.Girls 15-19 are three times more likely to be infected than boys their age.

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Women more vulnerable to new HIV infections