In the news ... 2007
Statement of Anthony S. Fauci, MD
Director, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases,
National Institutes of Health
Monday, March 5, 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.
Media inquiries can be directed to the NIAID News and Public Information
Branch at 301-402-1663, niaidnews@niaid.nih.gov.
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.
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.
