A photo exhibit in Russia is raising awareness about the rise in HIV infections among women in the country, The Moscow Times reports (moscowtimes.ru, 5/21).
Organized by UNAIDS, Stars Against AIDS features photographs of 25 famous women from Russia and Ukraine. The women, who include actresses, writers and television personalities, hope to encourage discussions about HIV among women. According to the article, 32 percent of people living with HIV in Russia are women.
“Some women suspect their husbands have many sexual partners but fear to be abandoned or beaten if they resist their husbands’ sexual demands,” says Maria Ivannikova of AIDS Information Service.
The photo exhibit opened May 15 and will run until May 29 at the Stella Art Foundation.
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Beth Benne, RN, is HIV negative, but
the virus has impacted her life. She currently supervises a biannual HIV/AIDS awareness week as
the director of the student health center at Pierce College, a
community commuter school in Woodland Hills, California.
Woman of the Month is supported by exclusive advertising from Gilead.
Overheard in the Women's Forum
"I recently met a guy who is negative. I did tell him about my status and he decided to kiss me anyway (we didn't go further than that). But a day later, he called and said that he actually had a mouth ulcer that time when we kissed and he was very worried. Asked if he can get the virus from me that way. For that moment, I felt so insulted and yet I felt so bad. It was my first time having a contact with a "negative" guy."
