Department of State: "A Critical Tool Toward Creating an AIDS-free Generation"

Submitted by Minuteman on Tue, 2013-05-14 01:16

Link here. Excerpt:

'On Mother's Day, we celebrate the many exceptional women in our lives and around the globe. Today, and every day, we are grateful for -- and indebted to -- the billions of mothers and other women who serve as the glue that keeps our families and communities together.

Unfortunately, in the fight against AIDS, women continue to bear a disproportionate burden. In many countries in sub-Saharan Africa, HIV remains the leading cause of death and disease for women of reproductive age, and in the region, 60 percent of those living with HIV are women. Despite these sobering statistics, countless women continue to prosper in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.

Whether a woman is a mother today, or a mother to be, her health is paramount -- both for her own productivity and quality of life, and that of the next generation.
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One new and potentially revolutionary tool that has greatly simplified the approach to PMTCT (prevention of mother-to-children transmission), is Option B+. Option B+ offers all pregnant or breastfeeding women living with HIV lifelong ART, rather than relying on laboratory testing to determine eligibility for treatment.

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"Unfortunately, in the fight against AIDS, women continue to bear a disproportionate burden."

Ummm... WHAT? I guess the State Dept. didn't even bother checking at the CDC web site! "Disproportionate burden"?

But they do say that 60% of HIV-infected people in sub-Saharan Africa are women. So for that group, assuming that statistic is true, they are disproportionately affected by an excess of 10% of the population. That's not good of course but it isn't extreme-- unlike here in the US where it's a lot truer to say men are much more affected by HIV than women, especially gay/bisexual men.

HIV is indeed ravishing sub-Saharan Africa, particularly southern Africa. It is not something that State should be using as a gender-agenda talking point. Too many people are dying too fast.

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Submitted by Matt on Tue, 2013-05-14 02:05