title: Marriage, like income and education, fails to provide shelter for women against HIV infection in sub-Saharan Africa: widowhood and divorce increase the risk.
abstract: Since HIV infection and its consequence, AIDS, were first described, many initial assumptions have proven to be wrong. In Africa, it is women who bear the greater burden of the disease. In many ways they are less visible than men, although at least as much at risk, often even more so. Marriage is no protection against infection, and widowhood and divorce leave them still more vulnerable. This is reflected in higher proportions of infection for bereaved and separated wives. Programmes of control, which depend on education, testing and access to treatment should be visible and accessible to all women in sub-Saharan Africa.
authors.affiliation: The Partnership for Child Development, School of Public Health, Imperial College London Faculty of Medicine, Norfolk Place, London W2 1PG, UK edcooper@doctors.org.uk.
authors.forename: Edward S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Cooper
mesh_terms: D017954:Africa South of the Sahara / Q000453:epidemiology; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D017533:Marital Status; D012307:Risk Factors; D035862:Vulnerable Populations
keywords: HIV infection; Marital status; Sociology; Sub-Saharan Africa; Women