HIV-positive women in the United States face strikingly high levels of stigma, according to survey results released by the American Foundation for AIDS Research. The results of amfAR’s survey reveal pervasive negative views of HIV-positive women and a high level of discomfort in interacting with them. Many of the responses display a lack of knowledge of how HIV is transmitted and misplaced fear of contracting the virus, signaling a pressing need to intensify prevention education efforts. somewhat or not at all comfortable with an HIV-positive woman as their dentist, 59% said they would be somewhat or not at all comfortable with an HIV-positive woman serving as their child care provider, and 57% said they would be somewhat or not at all comfortable having a woman physician who is HIV-positive. One in five respondents would be somewhat or not at all comfortable having a close friend who is HIV-positive. Only 14% of respondents felt that HIV-positive women should have children, even though medication exists to prevent mother-to-child transmission of the virus. white, and Hispanic individuals perceive HIV and the risk of acquiring it. Of those who know someone with HIV, blacks (34%) and Hispanics (32%) are more likely to have a family member with HIV than whites (13%). about HIV testing. Nearly 40% of respondents were sure that they had not been tested for HIV. A majority (80%) indicated that they did not need a test either because they “knew” they did not have HIV or because they didn’t think they needed to be tested. However, respondents overwhelmingly supported expanded HIV testing, and 65% support making HIV testing part of standard routine health care. This acceptance may be partially linked to the belief that HIV testing occurs more frequently than it does, with 67% mistakenly assuming that they are automatically screened for HIV when they are tested for other sexually transmitted infections. Fifty percent believed that women are automatically tested during prenatal exams. The survey draws much needed attention to the plight of women living with HIV. Forty-six percent of people who have HIV worldwide -- about 15.4 million—are women and girls. In the United States women account for 27% of new AIDS diagnoses -- up from only 8% in 1985. Both domestically and internationally, women continue to face widespread social and gender inequalities that can make it difficult for them to reduce their risk of infection. In addition, women are biologically more susceptible to HIV infection than men. ”In the minds of many people, AIDS in the United States is no longer a crisis,” says Susan J. Blumenthal, MD, MPA, amfAR’s senior policy and medical adviser and former deputy assistant secretary for women’s health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. “Complacency has obscured the changing face of the epidemic and the dramatic rise in HIV infections in women over the past 25 years. These results should serve as a wake-up call for action across all sectors of society. We need to intensify efforts for science-based education and policy to shatter the stigma that has surrounded this disease for all too long.” questioned nearly 5,000 respondents ages 18 to 44 and covered HIV risk and responsibility, impact of gender-based violence, and women’s access to health care and health information as well as attitudes toward HIV-positive women. The survey was made possible by grants from Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and the MAC AIDS Fund. HIV," says Regan Hofmann, an HIVer from New York City. "This is why we are seeing the rate of new infections for women rise significantly in America. While many women accept that they could potentially become pregnant from even just one act of unprotected sex, they feel that they would have to do something ‘extraordinary’ to contract HIV -- like be excessively promiscuous or be involved with people, the likes of whom they don’t think they would encounter in their everyday world." “I take seven pills daily that make me sick to my stomach. I experience nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, and the worst of all, mood swings. But yet it is still not the worst part of having HIV. It is the stigma.”
Sixty-eight percent of respondents indicated that they would be
The survey also demonstrates significant differences in how black,
In doing the study, amfAR also gained insights into public attitudes
The online survey, conducted by Harris Interactive for amfAR,
"Many women erroneously believe that they are not at risk for
Says Marvelyn Brown, an international activist who lives in Atlanta,
HIV Protection Tips
5:52 AM
Admin
BODY + SPIRIT
CHAD BUCHANON/GETTY IMAGES
Ugly Views
