March 8, 2015

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY 2015: WOMEN>AIDS

HIV/AIDS, the world’s leading cause of death among women of reproductive age, takes an enormous toll on the lives and potential of millions of women – and on the families, communities and economies they support.

Women are more susceptible to HIV than men. In the epidemic’s hardest-hit regions, deep gender inequity as well as violence, poverty and limited education can restrict women’s access to potentially life-saving information, prevention and treatment and their ability to negotiate safe sex. These same factors force many women into the sex trade, further decreasing their power and increasing the stigma barriers to their accessing HIV prevention and treatment.

An AIDS vaccine would be a powerful tool to help women redress some of these lethal imbalances. Delivered confidentially, before exposure to the virus and invisible to partners and peers, a vaccine could help empower women to protect themselves – and their families and societies – against this deadly disease.

“IAVI partners with a wide range of organizations and institutions to design and develop a safe and effective AIDS vaccine,” said Margie McGlynn, IAVI President & CEO. “I am proud every day to work alongside a great number of remarkable women – from scientists, medical professionals and advocates to participants in clinical trials – all dedicated to finding an AIDS vaccine. Together, we will achieve a world without AIDS.”

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