STI

HIV/AIDS is the leading cause of death and disease for women of reproductive age, according to health officials. A new report says much needs to be done to reverse that trend.

“Through the Millennium Development Goals and the 2001 Declaration of commitment on HIV/AIDS, all United Nation member states have committed to a series of actions and concrete…targets to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS,” he says.

However, the scorecard shows there’s much to be done to fulfill those commitments.

“There is widespread lack of accountability and transparency in national AIDS responses, meaning we do not have the information that we should about human and financial resources are being utilized and how well countries are meeting their agreed targets for the well-being of women and girls,” he says.

Economic downturn having an effect

“The current global financial crisis is affecting the will and ability of donors to sustain the high levels of funding that are necessary for an effective global response to AIDS,” he says.

A new study reveals women who have been in, or are currently in a romantic relationship, in which their partner was or is abusive, are more likely to suffer from health problems such as depression, STDs, urinary tract infections and chronic fatigue. These health problems linger far longer than the cuts or bruises from the original physical assault.

Women abused by their romantic partners are more likely to suffer from a long list of medical maladies than other women, a new study shows.

The diseases, many of which aren't traditionally connected with violence, include abdominal pain, chest pain, headaches, acid reflux, urinary tract infections and menstrual disorders.

"Roughly half of the diagnoses we examined were more common in abused women than in other women," study author Amy Bonomi, an associate professor of human development and family science at Ohio State University, in a school news release. "Abuse is associated with much more than cuts and bruises."