If you have never paid attention to AIDS issues, this week is a good time to start and learn about how you can get involved here at Wes!
The statistics are staggering: by 2005, the number of people living with HIV had grown to 40 million and 4.9 million people became newly infected with HIV, including 700,000 children. Of these, 3.2 million new infections occurred in Sub-Saharan Africa, and in 2005, 3.1 million people died of HIV-related causes. Globally, new infections arising in women are outpacing those of men, as gender inequality, violence, and biological vulnerability fuel women’s increased susceptibility to new infection. Of the world’s poor, 70 percent are women, and impoverished women are more likely to engage in transactional sex in order to pay for items like food and school fees. Impoverished women are more likely to experience coercive or forced sex in which they have no ability to negotiate for condom use. The lack of a prevention method for women is the largest obstacle in the battle against the HIV epidemic.
Microbicides could fill this prevention gap. The word “microbicides” refers to a range of different products that share one common characteristic: the ability to prevent the sexual transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) when applied topically. A microbicide could be produced in many forms, including gels, creams, suppositories, films, or as a sponge or ring that releases the active ingredient over time. They are odorless, tasteless, and colorless. Because microbicides would not require a partner’s cooperation, they would put the power to protect into women’s hands.
Advocacy is one of the most critical aspects of microbicide development. It is essential that students and professionals alike demand that more funding and priority be given to this HIV prevention tool. The most effective ways include sending petitions and letters to legislatures asking them to support the Microbicide Development Act which would require the US government to prioritize microbicide development and enable funding for the activities that a successful microbicide necessitates. The Act was introduced in the senate on March 8, 2005- International Women’s Day. Senator Corzine introduced the bill and said the following, “Today we have the opportunity to invest in groundbreaking research that can produce these tools, and ultimately, empower women. Microbicides are self-administered products that women could use to prevent the transmission of STDs, including HIV/AIDS. I say ‘could’, Mr. President, because due to insufficient research investments, no microbicides have been brought to market. This legislation would expand federal investments for microbicide research at the National Institutes for Health (NIH), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).” Politicians are asking their peers to enable a microbicide to become a reality, and students need to do the same.
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