WHO report HIV as leading cause of death in women

摘要

HIV is the leading cause of death among adult women in Africa and the leading cause among women of reproductive age worldwide, according to a WHO report on women's health. The report, Women and Health Today's Evidence Tomorrow's Agenda, highlights that the lack of contraception and unsafe sex are important risk factors for death and disability in young women in low- and middle-income countries. The three leading causes of in resource-limited settings are HIV/AIDS, maternal conditions and TB, which together account for one in every two deaths. Meanwhile, a recent survey has revealed that only 60% of pregnant women in Uganda who presented at a clinic for a medical check in 2007 were tested for HIV, despite a national policy of 'opt-out' HIV screening.