Growing HIV/AIDS Epidemic Among Women

(HealthNewsDigest.com).. Washington, D.C. (March 10, 2006)To acknowledge the mounting epidemic of HIV/AIDS among women, especially women of color, the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD) joins with other federal, state, and local partners in recognition of the first annual National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. This event, sponsored by the Office on Women's Health (OWH) in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), aims to raise awareness of the increasing impact of HIV/AIDS transmission on women and girls in the U.S.

HIV/AIDS is a rapidly growing public health concern among women, and currently remains among the leading causes of death in the U.S. for women ages 25-44. At the end of 2004, women represented approximately 27 percent of the estimated 455,983 adults/adolescents living with HIV/AIDS. In 2004, nearly 10,000 cases of HIV infection were reported among female adults and adolescents. Closer examination of the data reveals that the HIV/AIDS epidemic is continuing to disproportionately impact women of color. African American and Hispanic women alone comprised over 81 percent of the reported female adult and adolescent cases of HIV infection in 2004.

NASTADs February 2006 HIV Prevention Bulletin focused on women and HIV/AIDS, with particular emphasis on the impact of the disease on women of color in the U.S. The issue highlighted health department and community-based initiatives targeting women and youth of color, explored the impact of domestic violence on HIV risk among women, and reported on important information about research and development of an effective microbicide for women to help prevent HIV/AIDS.

NASTAD also continues to address the disproportionate impact of HIV/AIDS on women, including those within the African American community, as set forth in its Call to Action, A Turning Point: Confronting HIV/AIDS in African American Communities. NASTAD calls upon federal, state, and local government support to address this populations growing need for prevention, care, and treatment programs and services.

We have an obligation to respond to the growing needs for HIV/AIDS prevention services and education among women and girls in this country, particularly women of color, commented Julie Scofield, NASTAD Executive Director. Psychological, socio-economic, and cultural factors have tremendous influence over women and girls that affect their attitudes toward HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, and care.

Michael Montgomery, NASTADs Chair and Chief of the California Office of AIDS called Women and Girls Day a significant event that addresses prevention and care gaps in a population often overlooked in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

OWH was established in 1991 as the focal point for women's health issues, and works to address inequities in research, health care services, and education that have historically placed the health of women at risk. OWH coordinates women's health efforts in HHS to eliminate disparities in health status and supports culturally sensitive educational programs that encourage women to take personal responsibility for their own health and wellness. To that end, OWH has developed a number of programs to address HIV/AIDS as a national health priority.

Founded in 1992, NASTAD is a nonprofit national association of state health department HIV/AIDS program directors who have programmatic responsibility for administering HIV/AIDS health care, prevention, education, and supportive services programs funded by state and federal governments. NASTADs mission is to strengthen state and territory-based leadership, expertise, and advocacy and bring them to bear in reducing the incidence of HIV infection, and in providing care and support to all who live with HIV/AIDS. NASTADs vision is a world free of HIV/AIDS. For more information, visit www.NASTAD.org.

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