Flash back to the early years of the HIV epidemic, a small clinic in any city, USA. A young woman sits quietly in a cramped office waiting for her counselor to give her the results from recent tests. She wonders: why have they called me back. I did have sex, I guess I could have gotten some STD, but they can cure STDs can’t they – so I am not going to worry …. She looked up at the sound of the door opening.
READ: Sister To Sister: Black Women Talking One-On-One Is Part Of HIV Prevention
A woman holding a manila folder entered, closed the door behind her, and sat down. She opened the folder, looked at it briefly, then looked at the young girl. “Hi Tanya. Thanks for coming in.” She paused and placed the folder on the desk.
“I’m sorry to tell you this, but your HIV test came back positive.”
Tanya looked at the counselor, not really seeing her, she could feel her heart rate begin to speed up and her breathing became fast and shallow – all she could think was. But I’m a GIRL! Girls don’t get HIV! I can’t be HIV positive! But she was.
READ: Sheryl Lee Ralph: Center Stage In The HIV/AIDS Fight
We learned quickly that, yes, women and girls can and do get HIV. Today, 1 in 5 persons living with HIV in the United States are women or adolescent girls. In 2014, more than 9,500 women age 13 and older were diagnosed with HIV. More than 6 in 10 of those women were Black. Although these are sobering data, there is good news too: From 2005 to 2014, annual HIV diagnoses in women declined:
Today we have better ways to test, treat, and prevent HIV across all populations. And though we don’t yet have a cure, we do have many tools that are accessible and effective from testing, to prevention, to treatment and care.
READ: Red Pump Project Stomps Out HIV/AIDS
CDC has many resources to help. Find a testing site so you can get tested and encourage your sex partner(s) to do the same. Learn more about the importance of getting the right treatment regularly by taking a look at CDC’s Prevention Works campaign and at one of the newest tools, PrEP – pre-exposure prophylaxis – that is highly effective for preventing HIV if taken once a day as directed.
Taking charge of your sexual health is empowering! Scaling up access to these tools–especially among populations with the greatest risk—can dramatically reduce new HIV infections in the United States.
Every day we can make progress by sharing information, talking to each other about sexual health and HIV. On March 10, National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NWGHAAD), I invite you to make a special effort to take action to raise awareness – and do something – about the impact of HIV on women and girls, especially women of color. There is much work ahead, but we have more reasons than ever to believe that by working together we can continue to make progress against HIV among women and girls.
Why HIV Testing Should be on Every Woman’s To-Do List at The Red Pump Project
Tap into Your Own Power at Diva Living With AIDS
I Trust My Man and I Still Get Tested for HIV at Essence
Women and HIV: Essential Reads! At Office on Women’s Health Blog
Digital Communication: National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day 2016 at AIDS.gov
Hazel D. Dean, ScD, DrPH (hon), FACE is Deputy Director, National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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