With More Women Getting HIV/AIDS, Testing and Treatment are Essential
3/10/2008
Contact: Robert Yule
202.448.8456
ryule@pedaids.org
Foundation Issues Call to Action on National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
Washington, D.C.—On National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation is urging women, particularly those who are or might become pregnant, to seek HIV testing and counseling.
“It is no small thing to gather the courage to get an HIV test,” said Foundation President and CEO Pamela W. Barnes. “But armed with the results, even a woman who is HIV-positive can get the care and treatment she needs to give birth to a baby who will be born HIV-negative. On Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, we can help support a generation free of HIV and AIDS by making a commitment to testing and treatment.”
While rates of HIV infection are decreasing in the United States, the incidence of the disease among women continues to increase. The most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that women now account for more than one in four new HIV/AIDS diagnoses (26 percent). Sixty-four percent of the 126,964 women in the United States living with HIV/AIDS in 2005 were women of color, and black women were infected at approximately 23 times the rate that white women were.
In fact, HIV/AIDS has become the leading cause of death among black women age 25 to 34 and is the fifth leading cause of death among all women in that age group. More than 80 percent of infections in women occur through heterosexual contact, often because women are not aware of their male partner’s potential high-risk factors.
The CDC reports that 98 percent of children diagnosed with HIV in 2005 contracted it through their mothers. Testing is the most effective way for pregnant women to prevent mother-to-child transmission. Routine testing and counseling can help women protect their own health and the health of their babies. If a pregnant woman learns she is HIV-positive, beginning treatment early in pregnancy can reduce the risk of transmitting HIV to her baby to less than two percent.
“The increase in HIV/AIDS among women in the United States is alarming,” Barnes added, “but a greater focus on prevention can help turn this around. It is especially important for pregnant women to receive testing and treatment so they will not pass HIV on to their babies.”
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About the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation
The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation is a worldwide leader in the fight against pediatric AIDS. The Foundation’s innovative research programs, collaborative training initiatives, advocacy efforts, and rapidly expanding international prevention and treatment programs are bringing hope to the lives of children and families affected by AIDS worldwide.