Stamping Out Gender Discrimination to Prevent HIV/AIDS
Gender discrimination saps social consistency jeopardizing health and educational development. It is increasingly recognized as a key factor that makes women gravely vulnerable to AIDS and STIs (Sexually Transmitted Infections). Improving and intensifying poverty reduction strategies pragmatically, overall development programs should be en-gendered. Otherwise development achievements may be endangered failing to contain epidemic.
Approximately 17.7 million women were living with HIV/AIDS in 2006 all over the world. Multiple vulnerabilities like social, cultural, economical and biological factors intertwined as a vicious circle may make prevalence sky-high anytime among women in the developing countries of Asia. So we have to raise a clarion call on combating the spread of epidemic through ensuring gender equality.
Gender discrimination promotes unequal access to resources and opportunities, sexual violence, practice of unprotected sex, women trafficking and women’s paltry representation and participation in social development activities. All of this result in power disparities that characterize personal relationships between male and female undermine the development of not only women but also a nation to a great extent. In this context, capitalizing on capacity building initiatives for vulnerable women encompassing sensitization, training & orientation, exchanging information, experience & views and networking may play an important role to reduce the incidents of HIV as a whole.
Having significant and multifaceted impact on public health, education, technology, business and administration sector as well as on demography, household, macro economy and society on a great scale, HIV/AIDS continues to spread in Asia and the Pacific. Comprehensive HIV/AIDS prevention programs have been initiated successfully in some countries. Nonetheless several grave factors like illiteracy, gender inequality, unprotected extra marital sexual behavior, increasing use of intravenous drugs, isolation from generic health care services as well as lack of outreach treatment and care services are contributing to the spread of HIV/AIDS gradually from most-at-risk population to the general population. As a result, the number of HIV infections among women is increasing day by day. This is why focusing very appropriately and timely on the importance of women empowerment, policy makers should be made gender sensitized necessarily. Read the rest of this entry »
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How Does HIV Home Testing Work?
Getting an HIV test can be stressful and embarrassing for many people. Due to the stigma that still surrounds the disease, many people fear that having HIV will cause people to judge them as promiscuous or to make assumptions about drug use. While the medical community is now well aware of HIV statistics and the ways that HIV can be transmitted, and of the fact that anyone who is sexually active or comes into contact with blood is at risk, this stigma keeps many people from getting tested. HIV home testing is an excellent way for people to find out for certain whether or not they are HIV positive, without having to face doctors and community members in a local clinic. These tests are anonymous and highly accurate.
A HIV home test is done using a finger stick much like those performed on diabetics to measure blood sugar levels. The sample is then sent to a lab, where results will be available anywhere from the day they are received to a few weeks later, depending on the test and the company. Most companies allow people to send in their HIV home test using only PIN numbers or codes that they set up so that results are completely confidential. Counseling is also offered in many cases, regardless of a positive or negative result in order to help people learn to prevent the disease and to ensure that people are prepared in case the result is positive.
The FDA does not allow HIV test results to be determined or read at home. There are many reasons for this, and it is due in large part to the amount of work required to determine that a diagnosis is accurate. Because HIV is considered such a serious diagnosis, it is a primary goal of these companies to ensure that accurate results are always given. Read the rest of this entry »
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HIV/AIDS Programmes and Humanitarian Services
Humanitarian Emergencies And Spreading Of HIV
Humanitarian emergencies escalate the spreading of HIV and as such humanitarian aid should include programs to minimize the risk of further infection. Such emergencies include that of conflicts where violence against women and children is heightened. Large scale displacement because of political violence, natural disasters, and food shortages may cause families to force women and children in their families into prostitution as to get income. This type of action is guaranteed to increase the affects of the humanitarian crisis.
Humanitarian aid should thus include food, free condoms, counselling, voluntary and confidential HIV screening; Africa is the continent hardest hit by large scale displacement of people because of food shortages and political conflicts. Governments must actively create HIV care programs to assist not only in medical care and ensure hygienic settings, but also to help the families cope with infections, loss of income and overcoming the stigma associated with infection.
Humanitarian and health programs and spending by the governments in Africa have not been enough. Many of the governments have ignored the problem for too long, thus resulting in preventative programs being only in their beginning stages. One of the most important aspects of limiting the spreading of HIV is the establishment of a strong prevention strategy and the implementation thereof. Programs should include active educational programs in the communities, their schools and tertiary educational facilities.
HIV spreads because of several reasons and any humanitarian program that hopes to succeed must address all the major causes of spreading. Ignorance of how the disease is spread is one of the major causes. In the USA for instance, the popular belief amongst teenagers is that HIV is not spread by oral sex and as such they practice it freely. Correct information is thus essential to prevent not only the spreading of the disease, but also overcoming the stigma associated with such. Humanitarian programs must therefore include medical treatments also for HIV related diseases, information sessions, and active care programs if we are to win this ongoing battle against HIV/Aids. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: hiv aids prevention, hiv and aids