Equitable access for antiretroviral treatment for women

The WHO and UNAIDS have issue a policy document on equitable access for ART for women concerning actions required to address gender issues in the scale up of ART.

The WHO press release explains: “Although 47% of people infected with HIV around the world are women and girls, there is currently no reliable information on how many of them receive treatment. Most countries collect general data on the number of people being treated, but this is generally not broken out by sex or by age. If countries are to ensure and monitor equitable access to treatment, they will need to collect data not only on who is becoming infected but also on how many men, women and children are getting access to prevention and treatment. ‘To ensure equitable access to prevention and treatment services for women and girls, it is important for countries to set their own national targets,’ said Dr LEE Jong-wook, WHO Director-General. ‘The targets must match the proportion of men, women and children who are living with HIV and in need of treatment.’ “

The International Community of Women Living with HIV/AIDS (ICW) provided input to this document.