Women More at Risk from Infections
Infections, including sexually transmitted diseases, affect women disproportionately, doctors said in a meeting in Atlanta.
Infections, including sexually transmitted diseases, affect women disproportionately, doctors said in a meeting in Atlanta. Women “are last in line to address their own health problems for lack of time,” Dr. Julie Gerberding, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta said at a two-day international meeting on women and infectious diseases, Friday. The New York Times reported Saturday that certain diseases can cause more serious illness and lead to more severe complications among pregnant women. New diagnostic tests and better information programs are urgently needed to better control a number of infectious diseases that affect women and newborns, according to Gerberding. “Women disproportionately suffer the burden of poverty, are the victims of widespread and persistent discrimination in all areas of life, and put their lives at risk every time they become pregnant,” Gerberding said. The meeting, to renew efforts to decrease infection death rates among women and newborns, is sponsored by the World Health Organization and the American Society for Microbiology. (Source: Medline Plus, United Press International, Feb 2004)
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