The epidemic, HIV, which has devastated patients globally since the 1980s has recently been on the decline among women in the USA. A recently published journal on Lancet shows the development in the diagnosis and treatment of HIV, the effect of racial and geographical disparities on the degree of decline, and work being done to end the US HIV epidemic.
In 2019, the US Department of Health and Human Services presented its vision of reducing HIV infections in the US by 90% in 10 years. With this goal in perspective, it is important to note the present features of HIV among women in the USA and how they can be handled. As of 2016, about 23.7% of individuals diagnosed and living with HIV in the USA were adolescent and adult women. Among these women, it was noted that many factors including race, sexuality, and location among others play an important role in the prevalence of HIV.
The Center for Disease Control, in 2016, estimated that 93% (3900/4200) of new cases were Black women. In 2017, the HIV Surveillance report showed that the prevalence per 100000 individuals was 800.9 (Black women), 442.7 (multiple-raced women), 191.4 (Hispanic women), 77.8 (American Indian/Alaskan women), 45.3 (White women). CDC also reported that 50% of women with HIV lived in the South, 29% in the North-East, and the rest from the West and Midwest.
Reports showed that HIV prevalence in areas with high poverty was 20 times more than the general population. Based on gender identity, CDC reported that HIV prevalence was 14% among trans-women and 1% among cis-women. With regards to age, 47% of women with HIV in the USA were recorded to be 50 years and above. It was also noted viral suppression varied with age, pregnancy, location – women aged above 60 years had a 64.4% probability of achieving viral suppression, women between 20-29 years had 46.1%; 55% in rural areas and 58% in metropolitan areas.
The prevalence of a few comorbidities of HIV includes the following: obesity (due to specific antiretroviral drugs), mental health disorders (23% prevalence of depression), cardiovascular diseases (angina, heart failure, myocardial infarction), and so on.
Below are a few recommendations for coping with and ending the HIV epidemic: high-quality healthcare coverage, improved maintenance of women’s rights, and better inclusion in trials.
