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. 2004 Aug 25;4 Suppl 1(Suppl 1):S27.
doi: 10.1186/1472-6874-4-S1-S27.

Women and HIV

Marene Gatali  1 , Chris Archibald
Affiliations

Women and HIV

Marene Gatali et al. BMC Womens Health. .

Abstract

HEALTH ISSUE: The epidemic of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in developed countries has changed from the early epidemic that affected primarily men who have sex with men, to one that increasingly affects other groups such as injecting drug users (IDU) and heterosexuals. As a result, the number and percentage of women with HIV and AIDS is increasing. KEY FINDINGS: The number of women in Canada living with HIV, including those with AIDS, has increased over time. An estimated 6,800 women were living with HIV at the end of 1999, an increase of 48.0 % from the 1996 estimate of 4,600. On an annual basis, women account for a growing proportion of positive HIV test reports among adults in Canada. This proportion increased from 10.7% in the period 1985-95 to 25% in 2001. Heterosexual contact is the main risk factor for HIV infection in women, accounting for 63% of newly diagnosed cases of HIV infection in adult Canadian women in 2001; the majority of the remainder is due to IDU. KEY DATA GAPS AND RECOMMENDATIONS: Research is needed to address specific information gaps regarding risk behaviours, testing patterns and HIV incidence and prevalence in women. This research needs to include the broader contextual factors that influence women's lives and their risk of HIV infection. Programmes and prevention efforts must be gender and age-specific and should target not only individual behaviours, but also the social and cultural context in which these behaviours occur.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Proportion of Women among Adult (≥ 15 Years) Positive HIV Test Reports, by Age Group and Year of Test (1985/95–2001) Source: Data from HIV and AIDS in Canada, Surveillance Report to December 31, 2001.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Distribution of Exposure Category among Adult (≥ 15 Years) Female Positive HIV Test Reports, by Year of Test, Canada (1985/95–2001) Source: Data from HIV and AIDS in Canada, Surveillance Report to December 31, 2001
Figure 3
Figure 3
Proportion of Women and Men among Positive HIV Test Reports, by Age Group in 2001 Source: Data from HIV and AIDS in Canada, Surveillance Report to December 31, 2001.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Proportion of Women among Positive HIV Test Reports, by Ethnic Group, 1998–2001 Source: Data from HIV and AIDS in Canada, Surveillance Report to December 31, 2001.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Number of Positive HIV Test Reports among Adult Females and Males(≥ 15 Years), by Age Group and Year of Test, 1985–2001 Source: Data from HIV and AIDS in Canada, Surveillance Report to December 31, 2001
Figure 6
Figure 6
Number of Positive HIV Test Reports among Adult Females (≥ 15 Years), by Year of Test and Exposure Category, 1985–2001 Source: Data from HIV and AIDS in Canada, Surveillance Report to December 31, 2001
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