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Journal ArticleDOI

Women and HIV in Sub-Saharan Africa

13 Dec 2013-Aids Research and Therapy (BioMed Central)-Vol. 10, Iss: 1, pp 30-30
TL;DR: There is no magic bullet and behavior alone is unlikely to change the course of the epidemic, but substantial progress has been made in biomedical, behavioral and structural strategies for HIV prevention with attendant challenges of developing appropriate HIV prevention packages which take into consideration the socioeconomic and cultural context of women in society at large.
Abstract: Thirty years since the discovery of HIV, the HIV pandemic in sub-Saharan Africa accounts for more than two thirds of the world’s HIV infections. Southern Africa remains the region most severely affected by the epidemic. Women continue to bear the brunt of the epidemic with young women infected almost ten years earlier compared to their male counterparts. Epidemiological evidence suggests unacceptably high HIV prevalence and incidence rates among women. A multitude of factors increase women’s vulnerability to HIV acquisition, including, biological, behavioral, socioeconomic, cultural and structural risks. There is no magic bullet and behavior alone is unlikely to change the course of the epidemic. Considerable progress has been made in biomedical, behavioral and structural strategies for HIV prevention with attendant challenges of developing appropriate HIV prevention packages which take into consideration the socioeconomic and cultural context of women in society at large.

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Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
05 Oct 2016-PLOS ONE
TL;DR: There was a significant association between HIV testing and respondents’ gender, age, age at sexual debut, and comprehensive knowledge of HIV in the pooled sample, suggesting that public health programs that seek to increase HIV counseling and testing among youth should pay particular attention to efforts that target high-risk subpopulations of youth.
Abstract: Introduction In spite of a high prevalence of HIV infection among adolescents and young adults in sub-Saharan Africa, uptake of HIV testing and counseling among youth in the region remains sub-optimal. The objective of this study was to assess factors that influence uptake of HIV testing and counseling among youth aged 15–24 years in sub-Saharan Africa.

107 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The factors that explain gender inequality in HIV/AIDS in SSA vary by country, suggesting that country-specific interventions are needed.
Abstract: Women are disproportionally affected by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The determinants of gender inequality in HIV/AIDS may vary across countries and require country-specific interventions to address them. This study aimed to identify the socio-demographic and behavioral characteristics underlying gender inequalities in HIV/AIDS in 21 SSA countries. We applied an extension of the Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition approach to data from Demographic and Health Surveys and AIDS Indicator Surveys to quantify the differences in HIV/AIDS prevalence between women and men attributable to socio-demographic factors, sexual behaviours, and awareness of HIV/AIDS. We decomposed gender inequalities into two components: the percentage attributable to different levels of the risk factors between women and men (the “composition effect”) and the percentage attributable to risk factors having differential effects on HIV/AIDS prevalence in women and men (the “response effect”). Descriptive analyses showed that the difference between women and men in HIV/AIDS prevalence varied from a low of 0.68 % (P = 0.008) in Liberia to a high of 11.5 % (P < 0.001) in Swaziland. The decomposition analysis showed that 84 % (P < 0.001) and 92 % (P < 0.001) of the higher prevalence of HIV/AIDS among women in Uganda and Ghana, respectively, was explained by the different distributions of HIV/AIDS risk factors, particularly age at first sex between women and men. In the majority of countries, however, observed gender inequalities in HIV/AIDS were chiefly explained by differences in the responses to risk factors; the differential effects of age, marital status and occupation on prevalence of HIV/AIDS for women and men were among the significant contributors to this component. In Cameroon, Guinea, Malawi and Swaziland, a combination of the composition and response effects explained gender inequalities in HIV/AIDS prevalence. The factors that explain gender inequality in HIV/AIDS in SSA vary by country, suggesting that country-specific interventions are needed. Unmeasured factors also contributed substantially to the difference in HIV/AIDS prevalence between women and men, highlighting the need for further study.

92 citations


Cites background from "Women and HIV in Sub-Saharan Africa..."

  • ...Also, several unmeasured biological mechanisms might increase women’s risk of contracting HIV [84]....

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Tenofovir-based daily oral PrEP prevents HIV acquisition in women and Pharmacokinetic studies provide supporting evidence that PrEP offers HIV protection in women who are adherent to the medication.
Abstract: Purpose of reviewDespite tremendous promise as a female-controlled HIV prevention strategy, implementation of preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) among women has been limited, in part because of disparate efficacy results from randomized trials in this population. This review synthesizes existing evidenc

91 citations


Cites background from "Women and HIV in Sub-Saharan Africa..."

  • ...HIV/AIDS is the leading cause of death among women of reproductive age, and a combination of biological, behavioral, and sociocultural factors result in women bearing a disproportionate burden of the global HIV epidemic [1,2]....

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BookDOI
01 Jan 2018

75 citations


Cites background from "Women and HIV in Sub-Saharan Africa..."

  • ...The ‘virgin cleansing’ myth in which men thought that having sex with a virgin would cure of them of HIV and AIDS is still circulating (Jewkes et al., 2002; Ramjee & Daniels, 2013)....

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is argued that an intersectional approach can further research that integrates biological and social aspects of human lives and human health and ultimately generate better and more precise evidence for effective policies and practices aimed at tackling health inequities.
Abstract: Background: Better understanding and addressing health inequities is a growing global priority.Objective: In this paper, we contribute to the literature examining complex relationships between biol...

72 citations


Cites background from "Women and HIV in Sub-Saharan Africa..."

  • ...gynaecological illnesses as well as traumatic injuries that make vaginal tissues more vulnerable [85]....

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References
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, Antiretroviral therapy that reduces viral replication could limit the transmission of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) in serodiscordant couples.
Abstract: Background Antiretroviral therapy that reduces viral replication could limit the transmission of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) in serodiscordant couples. Methods In nine countries, we...

5,871 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The exciting evidence generated by this paper – that antiretroviral treatment of HIV-1 infection definitively reduces the risk of onward transmission of the virus by 96% – was rightly dubbed Science magazine's ‘Breakthrough of the Year’ in 2011.
Abstract: MS Cohen, YQ Chen, M McCauley N Engl J Med 2011 365:493–505. The exciting evidence generated by this paper – that antiretroviral treatment of HIV-1 infection definitively reduces the risk of onward transmission of the virus by 96% – was rightly dubbed Science magazine's ‘Breakthrough of the Year’ in 2011.1 ,2 It has long been known that the probability of sexual transmission of HIV is strongly correlated with concentrations of HIV in blood and genital fluids.3 ,4 Effective antiretroviral therapy (ART) produces prolonged and sustained suppression of HIV replication in these compartments, reducing the amount of free virus.5 ,6 Thus, there has long been a …

4,259 citations


"Women and HIV in Sub-Saharan Africa..." refers background in this paper

  • ...women in a discordant couple relationship where the positive partner was provided ARV treatment to reduce HIV transmission to the negative partner [86]....

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Oral TDF and TDF-FTC both protect against HIV-1 infection in heterosexual men and women, and both study medications significantly reduced the HIV- 1 incidence among both men andWomen.
Abstract: Background Antiretroviral preexposure prophylaxis is a promising approach for preventing human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection in heterosexual populations. Methods We conducted a randomized trial of oral antiretroviral therapy for use as preexposure prophylaxis among HIV-1–serodiscordant heterosexual couples from Kenya and Uganda. The HIV-1–seronegative partner in each couple was randomly assigned to one of three study regimens — once-daily tenofovir (TDF), combination tenofovir–emtricitabine (TDF–FTC), or matching placebo — and followed monthly for up to 36 months. At enrollment, the HIV-1–seropositive partners were not eligible for antiretroviral therapy, according to national guidelines. All couples received standard HIV-1 treatment and prevention services. Results We enrolled 4758 couples, of whom 4747 were followed: 1584 randomly assigned to TDF, 1579 to TDF–FTC, and 1584 to placebo. For 62% of the couples followed, the HIV-1–seronegative partner was male. Among HIV-1–seropositive par...

2,752 citations


Additional excerpts

  • ...(95% CI 44 to 81) and 75% (95% CI 55 to 87) respectively [84]....

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Journal ArticleDOI
03 Sep 2010-Science
TL;DR: Tenofovir in a vaginal gel formulation shows significant protection against HIV infection in a randomized control trial, and could potentially fill an important HIV prevention gap, especially for women unable to successfully negotiate mutual monogamy or condom use.
Abstract: The Centre for the AIDS Program of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA) 004 trial assessed the effectiveness and safety of a 1% vaginal gel formulation of tenofovir, a nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitor, for the prevention of HIV acquisition in women. A double-blind, randomized controlled trial was conducted comparing tenofovir gel (n = 445 women) with placebo gel (n = 444 women) in sexually active, HIV-uninfected 18- to 40-year-old women in urban and rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. HIV serostatus, safety, sexual behavior, and gel and condom use were assessed at monthly follow-up visits for 30 months. HIV incidence in the tenofovir gel arm was 5.6 per 100 women-years (person time of study observation) (38 out of 680.6 women-years) compared with 9.1 per 100 women-years (60 out of 660.7 women-years) in the placebo gel arm (incidence rate ratio = 0.61; P = 0.017). In high adherers (gel adherence > 80%), HIV incidence was 54% lower (P = 0.025) in the tenofovir gel arm. In intermediate adherers (gel adherence 50 to 80%) and low adherers (gel adherence < 50%), the HIV incidence reduction was 38 and 28%, respectively. Tenofovir gel reduced HIV acquisition by an estimated 39% overall, and by 54% in women with high gel adherence. No increase in the overall adverse event rates was observed. There were no changes in viral load and no tenofovir resistance in HIV seroconverters. Tenofovir gel could potentially fill an important HIV prevention gap, especially for women unable to successfully negotiate mutual monogamy or condom use.

2,365 citations


"Women and HIV in Sub-Saharan Africa..." refers background in this paper

  • ...A study of tenofovir based vaginal gel in South Africa showed a 39% (95% CI 6 to 60) reduction in HIV acquisition [81]....

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Prophylaxis with TDF-FTC did not significantly reduce the rate of HIV infection and was associated with increased rates of side effects, as compared with placebo, and drug adherence appeared to be low.
Abstract: Background Preexposure prophylaxis with antiretroviral drugs has been effective in the prevention of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in some trials but not in others. Methods In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, we assigned 2120 HIV-negative women in Kenya, South Africa, and Tanzania to receive either a combination of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate and emtricitabine (TDF–FTC) or placebo once daily. The primary objective was to assess the effectiveness of TDF–FTC in preventing HIV acquisition and to evaluate safety. Results HIV infections occurred in 33 women in the TDF–FTC group (incidence rate, 4.7 per 100 person-years) and in 35 in the placebo group (incidence rate, 5.0 per 100 person-years), for an estimated hazard ratio in the TDF-FTC group of 0.94 (95% confidence interval, 0.59 to 1.52; P=0.81). The proportions of women with nausea, vomiting, or elevated alanine aminotransferase levels were significantly higher in the TDF–FTC group (P=0.04, P<0.001, and P=0.03, resp...

1,433 citations


"Women and HIV in Sub-Saharan Africa..." refers background in this paper

  • ...due to poor adherence to the study product [85]....

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