Tag Archives: Nigeria

What Do Women in Washington, DC, Nigeria, And Rwanda Have In Common?

HIV/AIDS No Comments

What do women living in Washington, DC, Nigeria, and Rwanda have in common? They are living in places that have an HIV/AIDS rate of 3 percent.

As the 19th International AIDS Conference closes in Washington, DC, we’re reminded of how much African-American women, especially those living in urban areas, have in common with African women regarding contracting HIV. As the Huffington Post, BET, the Root, and major news networks have reported, AIDS is the number one killer of African-American women between the ages of 25 – 34, which is also the case in some African countries. While AIDS has become a feminine disease in sub-Saharan Africa and remains a masculine one in the States, Black women, regardless if they’re African or American, contract HIV from their partners unknowingly.

The conference follows Johns Hopkins’ March 2012 announcement that HIV rates for US Black urban women are five times higher than previously believed. Ladies, the HIV hot spots for us are Washington, DC, New York City, Raleigh-Durham, Baltimore and Newark. Stay protected.

But, there are bright spots. The epidemic continues to decline. Also, our teens in the US are getting the safe sex message, as they are in certain African countries such as Uganda. So, there are places where the young aren’t taking as many sexual risks as they used to.

Also, earlier this summer, SuzyKnew pointed out that we now have new products to help us protect our sexual health like the new in-home version of OraQuick® allowing you to quickly take an HIV test in the privacy of your own home and the anti-retroviral Truvada® that the FDA just approved for preventive use, by taking daily.  So, if you suspect your man may be seeing men – and he refuses to use a condom or take an HIV test – you can still protect yourself from HIV. (That is while you work on getting a new man…smile)

Stay healthy and sexy. Let’s see what the 20th AIDS Conference brings.

Suzy

 

What Do the US and Nigeria Have In Common Regarding Contraception?

Contraceptives No Comments
contraceptives

What do the US and Nigeria have in common regarding contraception? Both countries are now providing contraceptives for women for free. In August 2011, SuzyKnew told you about an interim law in the US requiring health plans to cover the costs of women’s contraceptives.  The fact that insurance companies had been paying for Pfizer’s high cost Viagra® for more than a decade for men to have more and better sex but not covering the costs of women’s contraceptives (even inexpensive generics) had long been a major bone of contention for US women. American women were all for men having more sex. But, they wanted to get financial support – like the gentlemen – to protect their health and finances from more babies, the natural consequence of men’s improved access to sex-enhancing drugs. In January 2012, this law became final, effectively allowing women to better manage their personal finances by giving them financial support to prevent pregnancy.

In the same vein, concerned about its economy, Nigeria has become more serious about addressing its spiraling population growth, the consequence of a lot of sex. Last year, the world’s 6th most populous country, passed a new law providing contraceptives for free. For 20 years, the Nigerian government had recommended that people have smaller families. But, the new law provides the financial support to help make this a reality. It requires states to distribute contraceptives to local governments and the public sector health centers for free. Nigeria, like other African countries, is hoping that a more serious effort to reduce population growth will improve economic growth as well as women’s health.

As SuzyKnew always says…to improve women’s health, you must address women’s pleasure…