Archive for the ‘Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs)’ Category
March 26th, 2010
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Author: When you think of AIDS and HIV, chances are, you immediately think of a skinny, sick-looking white male with his gay partner looking on with concern. That was the picture we saw over and over as HIV began to become noticeable. It was a gay man’s disease. Why then has HIV become the leading cause of death in African American women between the ages of 25 and 34?
Genetics?
What started out as a white man’s homosexually-transmitted disease has switched gender and race to become a black woman’s disease. There is quite a bit of speculation about why this is happening. Some studies link genetic possibilities. Evolutionary studies of Africans show a genetic trait that helps protect them from malaria. The bad news is that this genetic trait also makes them more susceptible to HIV. According to US News and World report, 60% of African Americans carry the trait and 90% of Africans carry it. The good news is that those carrying the trait live with the disease two years longer on average than those without the trait.
But this knowledge alone does no one any good. First of all, if you have the trait, there is nothing you can do about it. You can’t treat it, you can’t remove it, and you can’t change your body make-up. So who cares? Well, just because you have the trait doesn’t mean you have to have the disease. Trait or no trait, HIV is still something that is spread, not genetic. Therefore, other factors must contribute to the higher incidence of HIV/AIDs in women.
Biologically speaking
Women biologically are two times more likely to become infected during unprotected sex and to contract a sexually transmitted disease or infection. Like it or not, it’s the fact. Women have an open reproductive system and men have a closed system. Women bring stuff in, men send stuff out. Women are more vulnerable. Years ago, African American women blamed intravenous drug use as the greatest risk factor to contract HIV. Now, they are claiming heterosexual contact as the primary risk factor. But women of all colors, white included have heterosexual contact – why is AIDS so disproportionally impacting black women?
Poverty
Just like genetics, being poor does not give you AIDS. However, being poor does put you into situations where the risk factors are increased. More African American and Hispanic women are living below the poverty line than white women. That leads to an increase in the number of contributing factors such as prostitution, no health insurance, limited education, and less obvious – cultural differences. Many black children grow up in households where fathers are not present. Very strong and independent women raise them without the help of men. Young black boys who grow up in this environment may see having multiple partners as a norm and young black girls often see this as a standard way of living. With black men leading in the number of HIV cases overall, this leads to a volatile combination when infected men have concurrent sexual relationships with a variety of women. It makes the diseases spread faster.
Geographical
Studies have shown that living in the southern United States increases your chances of having HIV if you are a woman. Although only 29% of U.S. women live in the South, 76% of newly infected women come from that region. The South has the perfect prescription for HIV transmission. First, it has the highest poverty rates in the country, second, the most uninsured and third, the fewest high school graduates.
Other key factors
African American women and other women of color such as Hispanics, Pacific Islanders and Native American women carry the greatest risk for HIV infection. Combining biological vulnerability, lack of education, economic instability, domestic abuse, and lack of control in sexual relationships can be lethal to women.
Resources
If a woman, regardless of race, age or sexual preference, has had sexual encounters –with or without consent – they should be tested. If they test positive for HIV, there are many resources available to help them live with the disease. Early detection gives women a better chance of living a high quality life. For more information about HIV, here are some additional resources:
Kaiser Family Foundation: http://www.kff.org/hivaids/6092.cfm
Power Point Presentation: http://www.kaiseredu.org/tutorials/womenhiv/player.html
Women’s Health: http://www.womenshealth.gov/hiv/
Women’s Resources: http://www.thebody.com/content/art44411.html
Posted in General Health, Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs)
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Tags: African American Women with HIV and AIDS, AIDS, HIV
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160 Comments »
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