| Statement
of Anthony S. Fauci, M.D.,
Director, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases,
National Institutes of Health,
on
National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day,
March 10, 2007
The commemoration of the second annual National Women and Girls
HIV/AIDS Awareness Day reminds us that worldwide, our mothers,
daughters, sisters, aunts, cousins and friends are struggling with
HIV/AIDS in growing numbers, and becoming infected with HIV at
alarming rates. The imperative to bolster our collective commitment
to fighting HIV/AIDS among women and girls has never been stronger.
Since the mid-1980s, the number of women and girls affected by
HIV/AIDS has steadily increased, despite intensive prevention efforts.
In this country, the proportion of AIDS cases among female adults
and adolescents (13 years of age and older) increased from 7 percent
in 1985 to 27 percent in 2005. Racial and ethnic minorities represent
the vast majority of new cases among women. Between 2001 and 2005,
an estimated 83 percent of women newly diagnosed with HIV/AIDS
in the United States were African American or Hispanic. Globally,
of the estimated 39.5 million people living with HIV/AIDS, nearly
half are women and girls. In some regions, women are especially
hard-hit: for example, in Sub-Saharan Africa, for every ten adult
men living with HIV, about 14 adult women are infected with the
virus.
Globally, the vast majority of women with HIV/AIDS became infected
through heterosexual intercourse, frequently in settings where
saying no to sex or insisting on condom use is not an option because
of cultural factors, lack of financial independence, and even the
threat of violence. These issues compel us to develop HIV prevention
tools that women can use in situations when negotiating with sexual
partners is difficult or impossible.
One critical avenue of research is the development of safe, effective
and acceptable topical microbicides — gels, creams and foams
that could be used prior to sexual intercourse to prevent infection
with HIV and other sexually transmitted pathogens. The development
of these woman-controlled agents is a top HIV/AIDS research priority
of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
The NIH supports a full spectrum of microbicide research, from
basic studies to clinical trials, with coordination by the NIH
Office of AIDS Research. Of particular note, the National Institute
of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), with support from the
National Institute of Mental Health and the National Institute
of Child Health and Human Development, recently funded the Microbicides
Trials Network, a new international HIV/AIDS clinical trials research
network devoted to reducing the sexual transmission of HIV through
the development and evaluation of topical microbicides.
In ongoing studies, the NIAID-supported HIV Prevention Trials
Network is examining the safety and preliminary effectiveness of
two topical microbicides — BufferGel and PRO2000/5 Gel (P) — in
large clinical trials in Africa and the United States. NIAID also
has an agreement with the International Partnership for Microbicides
to share information and expertise and thereby draw on the complementary
strengths of the two organizations.
Other female-specific research has helped illuminate the fact
that women are affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic differently than
men. Women suffer gender-specific manifestations as a result of
HIV infection and respond differently to antiretroviral therapy,
including a higher incidence of drug toxicities. NIAID supports
the Women’s Interagency HIV Study designed to help us better understand
the course of HIV/AIDS disease in women. Frequently, HIV-infected
women have more difficultly accessing health care and subsequently
are diagnosed at later stages in the disease than men. Major obstacles
such as caring for family and lack of social support may interfere
with their adherence to treatment regimens. Therefore, we need
to expand and support educational and employment opportunities
for women and girls to address the harmful effects of inequality
that exist for women in both social settings and sexual relationships.
The theme of this year’s National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness
Day, “Taking Action to Save Our Lives,” is particularly apt. This
day provides an opportunity for everyone, particularly women and
girls, to take action and advance education, prevention and treatment
efforts, to be tested for HIV and to consider participating in
an HIV/AIDS clinical trial. Please join me in thanking all the
volunteers, educators, researchers, individuals, organizations
and institutions involved in the effort to save lives and prevent
new infections in women and girls.
Dr. Fauci is director of the National Institute of Allergy
and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health
in Bethesda, Maryland.
NIAID is a component of the National Institutes of Health. NIAID
supports basic and applied research to prevent, diagnose and treat
infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted
infections, influenza, tuberculosis, malaria and illness from potential
agents of bioterrorism. NIAID also supports research on basic immunology,
transplantation and immune-related disorders, including autoimmune
diseases, asthma and allergies. Media inquiries can be directed
to the NIAID News and Public Information Branch at 301-402-1663, niaidnews@niaid.nih.gov.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) — The Nation's
Medical Research Agency — includes 27 Institutes and
Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services. It is the primary federal agency for conducting
and supporting basic, clinical and translational medical research,
and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both
common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and
its programs, visit www.nih.gov.
|