Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2002. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
|
|
Inter Press Service (12.13.02) - Wednesday, December 18, 2002
Abdou Faye
Recent UNAIDS and World Health Organization reports show that Senegal, which had succeeded in lowering the incidence of AIDS from 1.7 to 1.4 percent in 2002, is facing a rapid infection rate among women. Estimated at only 9,108 in 1988, the number of Senegalese women living with HIV/AIDS has reached 35,945 in 2002. During the same period, the number of men living with the virus has risen only from 24,048 to 41,326. Today 77,000 people are living with HIV/AIDS, and, in 2001, some 4,700 AIDS-related deaths were recorded in Senegal.
Aminata Toure, head of the Gender and Human Development Program for the West African regional office of the UN Fund for Women's Development, said, "Women affected by HIV/AIDS are often not responsible for their illness. They do not have the right to refuse risky sexual relations and are often the victims of irresponsible acts committed by others." "Some men continue to have sex with their wives even when they know they're infected," she said. Toure is calling for a revision of certain provisions of Senegalese family law that make men heads of households.
The economic dependence of women on men increases the burden of the epidemic, according to Marieme Soumare, the coordinator of the Association for Women at Risk of AIDS, a nongovernmental organization. Soumare, whose mission is to assist women at risk, such as sex workers and women whose marriages have ended, also blames "the social and religious conditions in Senegal," which compel "women to accept risky sexual relations." "Poverty is the root of the problem, and women constitute the poorest segment of the Senegalese population," Soumare said.
021218
AD022446
Copyright © 2002 - Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD. The CDC National Center for HIV, STD and TB Prevention provides the following information as a public service only. Providing synopses of key scientific articles and lay media reports on HIV/AIDS, other sexually transmitted diseases and tuberculosis does not constitute CDC endorsement. This daily update also includes information from CDC and other government agencies, such as background on Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) articles, fact sheets, press releases and announcements. Reproduction of this text is encouraged; however, copies may not be sold, and the CDC HIV/STD/TB Prevention News Update should be cited as the source of the information. Contact the sources of the articles abstracted below for full texts of the articles.
AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from Boehringer Ingelheim, Bridgestone/Firestone Charitable Trust, Elton John AIDS Foundation, the National Library of Medicine, AIDS Walk of Orange County, and donations from users like you.
Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2002. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Copyright ©1980, 2002. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content.
.