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Abstract
Women, HIV/AIDS care and poverty: the relationship
Serunkuuma R.1, Mulindwa W.2, Ohan Odeng S.3
Objectives: To have a closer look at how poverty, traditional, and the unsupportive social economical conditions accelerate women´s vulnerability not only to HIV infection but also to prolonged exhaution, frustration and depression during the course of providing care to other members of the family.
Methods: Participants observation, structured and unstructured interviews were conducted with 66 rural and 33 urban women for 12 months.
Results: Subsistence work results in many minor injuries esp. to the hand skin. This increases women´s vulnerability to infection as they change, wash and cloth patients more especially at a later a later stage of HIV/AIDS as it is characterized by prolonged bouts diarrhoea and vomiting. It was learnt that women´s low social economical conditions also hampers their access to prophylactives such as gloves, soap and disinfectants. So, women esp. in rural areas are physically, psychologically, emotionally and compassionately fatigued.Poverty itself too has adirect impact on the patient, the caregiver who is always the woman and the present and the future of the family. The study also found that whereas women are the sole caretakers for the ill, including their spouses, when they (the women) fall ill, they are asked by the spouse to go back to their families of origin where most of their mothers are overburdened with orphans and vulnerable children and too old for extra responsibilities!
Conclusions: The overall picture of an rural woman esp. in Africa, is quite different from that of an urban one. Efforts must be redirected to support the rural too. Researchers, Policy makers, Funding agencies and AIDS Support Organizations have a great role to play. All need to help in reshaping the social economical conditions of a rural woman so as to provide protection and relief, to this woman, from the burden of care and dangers of HIV infection.
4th IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention
Abstract no.
CDB476
Suggested Citation
"SerunkuumaR., et al.
Women, HIV/AIDS care and poverty: the relationship.
:
4th IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention:
Abstract no.
CDB476"
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