|
| |
Contact:
Rose Marie Harris
Monday, May 12, 2003 - Health officials are expressing alarm at the
recently submitted situational response analysis of HIV/AIDS in St. Lucia. The
report revealed that the HIV/AIDS pandemic has taken a significant hold
particularly on the island’s female population. The report goes on to say that
over the last five years there has been an increase in HIV/AIDS cases among
females; more men are infected but a higher proportion of women die from the
disease.
Physician and AIDS advocate, Dr. Marie Grandison-Didier, says that this recent
revelation means that the disease can affect the entire family given the role of
the women in the home. Even more serious is the fact that the disease is more
prevalent among the young female population.
“Young females are vulnerable because one they often begin their sexual activity
with males who are much older than them and those males are sexually experienced
and come to these relationships already carrying STDs which make them more prone
to picking up HIV if it is present there. And also because when these males come
to those females sometimes they are already infected. There are a lot of social
and monetary things going on there. A lot of these young girls enter those
relationships because there is a benefit to them, a benefit in terms of monetary
assistance,” Dr. Didier explained.
Dr. Didier reiterated that women in dire economic straits would resort to
whatever means necessary to feed herself and family whether those means are safe
or not. She said that if HIV/AIDS is to be tackled, the economic factors
spurring the spread of the disease need to be confronted as well.
|
