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Women and AIDS prevention

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Abstract

Many women are unaware of their potential risk of becoming infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the virus presumed to cause AIDS. Other women are confused about what prophylactic measures to adopt to lower their susceptibility to infection. Moreover, the needs of women who do not inject drugs have been largely ignored in media and public information campaigns. Rising rates of AIDS infection among women underscore the need for targeted prevention efforts. In this paper, the risks of the spectrum of HIV-related disease,i.e., HIV seropositive, lymphadenopathy syndrome, AIDS-related complex or full-blown AIDS, for women are described. Methods of disease transmission, prevention means, and issues and barriers to adopting practices for reducing risk of exposure to and transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus are reviewed. Finally, practice, research and policy initiatives for AIDS prevention are offered.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Gay Men's Health Crisis, 132 West 24th Street, Box 274, 10011, New York, NY

    Joanne E. Mantell MS, MSPH, PhD.

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  1. Joanne E. Mantell MS, MSPH, PhD.
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  2. Steven P. Schinke
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  3. Sheila H. Akabas
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Additional information

Preparation of this paper was supported in part by grants from the Centers for Disease Control (Cooperative Agreement No. U62/CCU2C1065-01), National Cancer Institute (CA29640), National Institute on Drug Abuse (DA03277), and National Institute of Disability and Rehabilitation Research (G008535120).

The authors warmly thank Mark Ketcham, David Blaustein, Mark Alexander and Ken Anderson for their assistance in preparing the many drafts of this manuscript. The authors also appreciate the contributions of Steven Bowen, M.D., M.P.H., Deputy Director for AIDS, Gary West, M.P.A., Assistant to the Deputy Director for AIDS, Center for Prevention Services, The Centers for Disease Control, and Stephen Schultz, M.D., Deputy Commissioner, Epidemiology and Prevention Services, New York City Department of Health, incorporated after their review of this manuscript.

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Mantell, J.E., Schinke, S.P. & Akabas, S.H. Women and AIDS prevention. J Primary Prevent 9, 18–40 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01326525

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