New York Times, August 1, 2008

Letter to the Editor

Re: "U.S. Blacks, if a Nation, Would Rank High on AIDS” (July 30, 2008)

To the Editor:

"U.S. Blacks, if a Nation, Would Rank High on AIDS” (news article, July 30)
doesn’t acknowledge the severe burden that AIDS has put on African-American women. For example, H.I.V. infection is the leading cause of death for African-American women ages 25 to 34 years.

Similarly, the United Nations report released on Tuesday on the worldwide AIDS epidemic played down the enormous and growing burden of H.I.V. and AIDS on women, especially young women and girls.

Prevention for girls and women, no matter where they live, requires protection from sexual coercion and violence, access to reproductive health services and comprehensive sexuality education for all young people. American policies at home and abroad must be modified to address these needs.

Adrienne Germain
President
International Women’s Health Coalition
New York, July 31, 2008

Originally published in the online version of the New York Times, August 1, 2008. Reprinted with permission.

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