The New Face of HIV

Women make up a growing percentage of new cases, so why are so many doctors still treating it like it's only a male disease?

By Barbara Kantrowitz and Pat Wingert | Newsweek Web Exclusive
Nov 14, 2007 | Updated: 3:42  p.m. ET Nov 14, 2007

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  • Posted By: wonderwoman102 @ 01/05/2008 2:33:30 PM

    i think they treating it like its a male disease because it fisrt started out as a male disease now its more woman than men because they use drugs and share them or they have sex with the same sex or they have sex with a person who has the disease(i am only 13 years old and i know alot about this epidemic i am doing an arical on hiv and aids)

  • Posted By: glmory @ 12/08/2007 2:59:34 PM

    It should be pointed out that the percentage of new HIV cases that are female is falling, not rising. This is pretty clear looking at recent CDC numbers ( http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/surveillance/resources/reports/2005report/table1.htm ). In 2001 there were 11,941 cases, in 2005 that number had dropped to 9,708. This is about a 20% drop.

  • Posted By: IslandNation @ 11/18/2007 8:14:37 PM

    Life is a precious gift. Once here, we should protect it through education, awareness and treatment for all.

  • Posted By: IslandNation @ 11/18/2007 8:13:43 PM

    Life is a precious gift.

  • Posted By: GUSSG @ 11/14/2007 5:24:59 PM

    most members of my family both male and female are immune to aid . i discovered this by chance. when a cousin wife had hiv . SHE EVENTUSLL Y DIED , BUT HER CHILDERN AND HUSBAND WERE HIV NEGATIVE. SHE GOT HIV THROUGH BLOOD TRANSFUSION. MY CHILDERN ARE IMMUNE . IS THE HUMAN RACE DEVELOPING AN INMUNITY.OR IS THIS A QUIRK OF NATURE. BUT I NOTICED THAT A LOT OF WOMAN ARE GETTING HIV.///GUSS B.

    • Posted By: TinierThanThou @ 11/16/2007 3:19:53 PM

      RE: "immunity" to AIDS within your family....ok, I have read the other responses to your comments and everyone seems to agree wholeheartedly that such an assertion is grossly inaccurate as well as being an ominous testament to your apparent lack of understanding of the HIV/AIDS virus.
      I would like to add that one piece of information that you may also be unaware of and/or have not considered is: THERE ARE SEVERAL - NUMEROUS - STRAINS OF THE HIV VIRUS! Even a person who already has one strain of HIV is suseptible to contracting any of the other strains of the virus, AND some are worse than others. So even if your proposed "immunity" theory were true (AND I REPEAT: IT IS NOT TRUE!), that would still leave yourself and all of the other supposedly "immune" members of your family vulnerable to contracting any and all of the HIV strains that your cousin's wife apparently suffered from. So please protect yourself and tell your family members to do the same. Good luck to you.

    • Posted By: jroobs @ 11/14/2007 7:14:37 PM

      How in the heck do you know your children are immune? Are you/have you exposed them to HIV? And if so, I hope someone turns you in, that is unbelievably reckless. And just because one person gets HIV or AIDS doesn't necessarily mean that everyone around them will. You need to be much better informed about HIV. Your comments are crass and dangerous.

      • Posted By: amaryllism @ 11/16/2007 1:44:42 PM

        YOUR CHILDREN ARE NOT "IMMUNE TO AIDS". they simply did not engage in risk behaviors with your relative. (sharing needles, engaging in sexual activity, receiving a blood transfusion from). your children were in no danger from hugs, casual contact or being in the same room as your cousin's wife.

        what is appalling here is that this person's family member died from aids, and they are still so unbelievably ignorant about the disease. now i can see why the rest of the country is so ignorant.

      • Posted By: amaryllism @ 11/16/2007 1:42:20 PM

        ok, let's make it clear once and for all: SIMPLY BEING AROUND AN HIV POSITIVE PERSON DOES NOT MEAN YOU WILL BE INFECTED. your children are not "immune to aids", they just did not engage in any risk behavior with the infected person. they did not (better not have) share needles, have sex with, or receive a blood transfusion from that person.

        i repeat: YOUR CHILDREN ARE NOT IMMUNE TO AIDS

  • Posted By: anotherday0 @ 11/15/2007 8:54:53 PM

    I do not agree that HIV is a gay man's disease. I know there are really some straight woman at HIV personal and support site like pozgroup.com.

  • Posted By: William.Demuth @ 11/15/2007 1:38:42 PM

    Just a reminder that most of what we where told in the begining about AIDS has proven to be inaccuate. With that in mind, I would strongly remind you to avoid risky behaviors. This pandemic is still far from running it's course. I applaud the advancements made, but the desire to avoid social stigma has created a tendency to minimize this disease. As for reproduction while infected, I must voice concern. While it may be accurate to say that transmission rates are low, this disease is so horrorific that even a one percent chance of transmission seems to make the person who engages in the risk selfish.

  • Posted By: didi-evc @ 11/14/2007 11:53:42 PM

    What are the aspirations of a person who has HIV are? Maybe 5 or if that person is lucky enough 15 years of life I know we all can breathe our last breath on any moment, but at least there should be the possibility to be there for that baby a longer time. It is my opinion that if you are going to bring a new life in this world you have to be sure that little person is going to have the best. And I can???t think of anything best for a kid than have their parents around. So whoever is going to have a baby should consider the fact that it is not only her life or health problems the dilemma is??? you will not be there for her (his) sweet sixteen! So is that fair? Has the kid any choice?

    • Posted By: sweets4tlr @ 11/15/2007 12:26:39 AM

      I think you need to brush up on you facts. People with HIV can go on to live a very normal live these day with all the new types of drugs. HIV is no longer the death sentance it use to be if it is treated right. You need to read more articals like this one before.

  • Posted By: adrianaevc @ 11/15/2007 12:06:06 AM

    I think people need to be more informed about AIDS so we don't treat to the HIV+ carriers like criminals or even worst, we don't even want to talk to them. Anybody could have the infection without knowing. It takes from days to years to manifest so let's give a chance to that people to live a normal life HIV is a viral disease as many other viral diseases such as chicken pox or Herpes labial viruses, etc., no complete cure for HIV neither for Herpes I, II, We shoul give a chance to those with HIV to live a normal life, have friends and not leave them isolated of the society. Regarding reproduction, clinicians need to have complete evaluation of the female patients, their aspirations in the future and see if the patient's plans are of the benefit not only hers but think of the society in general to put them on aggresive mediacations to minimize transmission of HIV to the baby.

  • Posted By: didi-evc @ 11/14/2007 11:54:37 PM

    What are the aspirations of a person who has HIV are? Maybe 5 or if that person is lucky enough 15 years of life I know we all can breathe our last breath on any moment, but at least there should be the possibility to be there for that baby a longer time. It is my opinion that if you are going to bring a new life in this world you have to be sure that little person is going to have the best. And I can???t think of anything best for a kid than have their parents around. So whoever is going to have a baby should consider the fact that it is not only her life or health problems the dilemma is??? you will not be there for her (his) sweet sixteen! So is that fair? Has the kid any choice?

  • Posted By: Cristinaevc @ 11/14/2007 11:13:23 PM

    There's still a lot ignorance about the HIV ann AIDS illness. I agree with the autor, I've had some medical test and I never was asked to have HIV test while my male family members were. Another fact is that there's not enough information about how to treat a HIV patient and how the illness is passed to healthy people. Before to request to treat the HIV like a illness without gender and stop to think it like a male disease, we should ask for more campaigns to inform people about what be HIV positive and AIDS means. Because the principal problem in this issue is the ignorance.

  • Posted By: Lisevc @ 11/14/2007 11:07:50 PM

    I'm surprice by this article, I thought that women with HIV have more risks to transmit the virus to their babies. I think it is really frustrating that this sickness is wrongly view as a matter of genders.

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