Women's HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

Last Updated on Monday, 08 March 2010 22:58 Written by HIV Alliance News Monday, 08 March 2010 22:51

National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

March 10th is National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, an initiative occurring nationwide in an effort to raise awareness about the increasing impact of HIV/AIDS on women and girls. It provides an opportunity for organizations to come together within their communities and offer support, education, and strategies for prevention, among much more. It's a startling fact that in the United States, every 35 minutes a woman tests positive for HIV.

As part of our effort towards a future free of HIV, HIV Alliance is partnering with the University of Oregon's Women’s Center on March 10th. Together we will be providing free OraQuick Rapid Tests from 11am to 3pm at the Women’s center at the Erb Memorial Union on the UO campus. OraQuick tests are 20-minute oral swab tests that are 99% accurate. We will also be there doing outreach and providing counseling services.

Recently, high rates of HIV among women have brought new attention to the unique challenges that make it more difficult for women to prevent HIV or to take care of themselves while living with HIV. Additionally, about 1 in 4 Americans living with HIV today are women. So, although research has shown that men transmit HIV more easily than women contract the virus, women can, in fact, pass HIV to uninfected partners — both male and female — through sex. This is because HIV is present in blood (including menstrual blood), vaginal fluids, and in cells of the vaginal and anal walls. HIV levels in vaginal fluids also increase in the presence of vaginal yeast infections and STIs. Swelling of the vagina caused by these infections causes tiny scrapes and cuts on the fragile skin of the vaginal area that can hide HIV. So, if you do have sex (vaginal, anal, or oral), make sure to use a latex condom correctly every time.

In the US, young people are at a high risk of becoming infected with HIV. In 2006, people 13 to 29 accounted for the largest number of new HIV infections in the US . According CDC research on at-risk youth, the rate of HIV among young women 16 to 21 is 50 percent higher than the rate among young men of the same age group. African American women in the study were seven times as likely as white women to be HIV-positive. However, many young people do not know about HIV risk and thus they do not worry about becoming infected. HIV prevention outreach and education efforts, including programs on abstinence and HIV screening, are key to preventing the spread of HIV by young people.

It’s time for women to take control of their own lives and get tested and there's never been a better time than now.

 

Questions?  Contact Tony at 541-342-5088 x135 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

 

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