The number of women living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) has been on the rise in the last 3 years, data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) indicates.
The recent ‘statistical report on women and men in Nigeria’ by the NBS showed that the percentage of women living with the disease increased from 55.50% in 2017 to 56.03% in 2019. However, that of men dropped from 44.50% to 43.97% within the same period.
Way back, the number of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in Nigeria was much higher. The figures were estimated to be around 3.2 million, placing Nigeria behind South Africa as the country with the largest HIV epidemic in the world. Gradually, the numbers started declining but from the NBS latest report, it appears the numbers are picking up again. The number of PLWHA in 2017 was 1.856 million. This increased to 1.913 million in 2018, then 1.968 million in 2019.
“Women are more biologically vulnerable to HIV infection”- Expert
Several factors explain the reason why females are likely to contract the HIV virus more easily than men. Dr Tavershima Adongo, a public health and policy expert explained that “it is a well established fact that women are more biologically vulnerable to HIV infection than men. This is because the female reproductive tract lining (known as genital mucosal lining) is larger than that of the male, and has been shown to be easily bruised, therefore increasing the chances of transmission of the virus through sexual contact.”
“The physiological data seem to indicate it’s something like twice as easy for women to become infected as for men” he submitted.
Besides the physiological exposures of women to sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV/AIDS, demographic reports also point to the knowledge gap between women and men which may also be responsible for the higher incidence of HIV infections among women.
A Demographic Health and Survey conducted in 2018 revealed that more men are actually aware that the use of condoms and limiting of sexual intercourse to one uninfected partner who has no other partner reduces the risk of contracting the virus.
In 2018, only 71% of women had knowledge of this, whereas for men, it was 74%. Back in 2013, it was 54% for women and 70% for men. This knowledge gap potentially puts more women at risk. Thus, contributing to the increase in the percentage of women living with the health condition.
Dr. Garba Satomi also highlighted the factor of gender inequalities. “The inequalities that the female gender face in today’s world is at an alarming rate. Majority of rape cases are suffered by girls and women which further put them at risk of contracting the virus”, says Dr. Garba Satomi.
In a report by the UNAIDS, it noted that gender inequality, discrimination and sexual violence against women actually put women and girls at heightened risk of HIV infection compared to their male peers. The report went further to state that women who have experienced any form of violence are 50% more likely to be living with HIV.
In Nigeria, the percentage of women who have experienced physical or sexual violence stood at 33.4% as at 2018 according to the NBS statistical report. That is about one out of every three women. In 2013, it was 29.6%.
Today, HIV/AIDS remains the leading cause of death for women of reproductive age. To combat the scourge, the government at all levels in Nigeria needs to address these socio-economic issues that make women more vulnerable to this deadly disease.