Hello and welcome to my blog! I am new to the blogging world, but thought this would be a good way to give frequent updates about a group of women I've come to truly care about. They are the women in my community, country, and all over the world who live with HIV/AIDS.
Did you know that women with HIV are up to five times more likely than non-infected women to develop cervical cancer? For African American women and women from low income backgrounds, those numbers increase even more. The CDC recommends yearly pap tests for HIV positive women after their first year of HIV diagnosis, and semiannual pap tests during the first year. However, many patients do not maintain these appointments. For that reason, I have paired up with the 1917 Clinic in an effort to improve cervical cancer screenings among its female patients. My goal is to help educate and empower women with HIV to maintain these appointments and take care of their overall health.
Thirty years ago, we saw some of our first AIDS cases in the United States. At the time, scientists and doctors didn't really have an understanding of what we were up against. HIV/AIDS was like a death sentence, and people didn't live long with the disease. Now, with the advancement of antiretroviral therapy and overall healthcare, patients are living much longer after an HIV diagnosis. While this marks a tremendous accomplishment, it also brings with it a new problem: co-morbidity. A prime example of that is cervical cancer. And it is now our job to fight it along with the HIV virus.
I hope this blog will serve as a source of information and inspiration. I will post updates about my work at the Clinic, as well as articles, news clippings, and anything else I find that is pertinent to the subject matter. With all of us working together, we can take care of the women living around us who suffer from this virus and reduce their chances of developing cervical cancer, among other deadly co-morbidities.
