Abstract
Women have always been present in the HIV epidemic, either as healthcare workers, support networks (mothers, carers, partners, friends) for the people living with HIV, or living with HIV themselves. As HIV was originally considered to affect mostly Men who are having Sex with Men (MSM), women were overlooked; however, today they represent 51% of the people living with HIV globally. In recent years, Eastern Europe and Central Asia is a region where the overall prevalence of HIV has not declined, with adolescent girls and young women facing double the risk of HIV acquisition compared to their male counterparts. The chapter presents literature highlighting the areas where the HIV response has left women behind or is inadequate to address their needs. Areas of interest include the biological differences, the identified need for better inclusion in research, the socioeconomic factors leading to health disparities, and the pleasure deficit that has guided the HIV response, leading to poor health outcomes and questionable well-being for the women living with HIV (WLHIV).
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Notes
- 1.
More information on the SHE programme can be found here: https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/she-day-the-strong-hiv-positive-empowered-women-she-faculty-and-bristol-myers-squibb-celebrated-four-years-of-she-a-first-of-its-kind-programme-addressing-the-specific-challenges-faced-by-women-living-with-hiv-in-europe-265166141.html. Accessed Jan 2021.
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Antoniadi, C. (2021). Women Living with/or Affected by HIV: Frugality and the Politics of Deprivation. In: Croston, M., Hodgson, I. (eds) Providing HIV Care: Lessons from the Field for Nurses and Healthcare Practitioners. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-71295-2_10
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