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American Public Health Association
133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition
December 10-14, 2005
Philadelphia, PA
APHA 2005
 
3216.0: Monday, December 12, 2005 - 1:15 PM

Abstract #117049

Conceptual and historical obstacles to combining HIV/AIDS prevention and reproductive health services in Latin America

Timothy J. Frasca, Population and Family Health, Columbia University, 722 West 168 Street, New York, NY 10032, (212) 305 39 27, tf2139@columbia.edu

The deepening HIV/AIDS epidemic has led government policy-makers, donors and multilateral agencies to seek to “scale up” current national efforts. One key strategy recommendation is to combine reproductive health services with HIV/AIDS prevention, usually by incorporating the latter into the former. At first glance, this approach seems entirely reasonable, but the two worlds are not so easily melded. Homosexual HIV transmission still predominates in Latin America, and in many countries attempts to address the steady increase in heterosexual transmission is not benefitting from the previous lessons learned. Writings on reproductive health in Latin America generally do not take men into account in addressing HIV/AIDS except as vectors of transmission or when they are subsumed into broader categories such as “youth.” Efforts to provide better access to antiretroviral drugs to people with HIV have obscured the underlying, unresolved issues of sexuality education and sexual health services, areas where conservative forces are eager to do battle. AIDS work from reproductive health services is likely to remain trapped within female enclaves where attempts to educate or “empower” women will run up against the structural obstacles that accentuate female vulnerability. Gay-oriented prevention also needs to redefine strategies and objectives in the post-crisis, Internet age. Both camps have valuable lessons that are not being shared. Dialogue is needed between gay prevention and reproductive health to question whether current efforts will reduce risk for both populations.

Learning Objectives:

Keywords: HIV/AIDS, Latin American

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

[ Recorded presentation ] Recorded presentation

HIV/AIDS/STI: Prevention to Treatments

The 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition (December 10-14, 2005) of APHA