Because HIV/AIDS spread first among gay men in the United States, some Americans do not realize how pervasive and devastating HIV can become in a heterosexual population.  To see that, we need only look to Africa where the infection rates of the 16 hardest hit countries range from 10 percent to an almost incomprehensible 36 percent.⁽¹⁾  Most adult Africans with AIDS have been infected through heterosexual sex.  

HIV prevention for both heterosexual women and Lesbians has to begin with safe sex, including use of a male or female condom.  HIV is more infectious in the presence of certain other sexually transmitted diseases, so programs to reduce other sexually transmitted diseases, especially syphilis and gonorrhea are also important.

Finally, policies that improve access to sterile needles for injecting drug users are essential, not only to protect women who inject drugs but also to protect the non-drug-injecting women partners of men who inject drugs.

Footnote

(1) The 16 African countries and their infection rates are: Botswana (36 percent), Swaziland (25 percent), Zimbabwe (25 percent), Lesotho (24 percent), Zambia (20 percent), South African (20 percent), Namibia (20 percent) Malawi (16 percent), Kenya (14 percent), Central African Republic (14 percent), Mozambique (13 percent), Djibouti (12 percent), Burundi (11 percent), Rwanda (11 percent), Ivory Coast (11 percent) and Ethiopia (11 percent). Lawrence K. Altman, "U.N. Warning AIDS Imperils Africa's Youth," New York Times, June 28, 2000, page 1.  

For a list of other materials used on this website, see References.