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Conference Summary
Disparities in Infectious
Diseases among Women in Developing Countries1
Jamila Rashid,*
Olufemi O. Taiwo,† Indu Ahluwalia,* and Stella Chungong‡
*Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA; †Somolu,
and Bariga Local Government, Lagos, Nigeria; and ‡World Health Organization,
Geneva, Switzerland
Suggested
citation for this article
Infectious diseases are leading causes of death in developing countries.
According to 1998 data from the World Health Organization, 1.2% of total
deaths from infectious and parasitic diseases occurred in industrialized
countries, compared to 43% in developing countries. Women in developing
countries disproportionately suffer from a host of infectious diseases,
including tuberculosis, upper respiratory tract infectious, skin infections,
visceral leishmaniasis, malaria, sexually transmitted infections, and
HIV/AIDS.
Poverty, poor education, low health knowledge, poor infrastructure, geographic
factors, life style, and environmental factors (i.e., limited access to
resources such as clean water) have been identified as primary factors
contributing to the high incidence of infectious diseases among women
in developing countries. Also, such women tend to have limited or no access
to health care, be vitamin deficient, and have lower status in their communities.
Often, infectious diseases may run a substantially longer course for
women in developing countries because of stigma, family needs, and shame.
Another important barrier to combating infectious diseases among women
in developing countries is the lack of use and the misuse of prescription
medication. A substantial percentage of women rely on traditional treatment
methods. When women do seek healthcare services and are prescribed medication,
women frequently do not adhere to the dosage and quantities prescribed.
1The following comments were made in presentations
by the above authors at the International Conference on Women and Infectious
Disease.
Suggested citation
for this article:
Rashid J, Taiwo OO,
Ahluwalia I, Chungong S. Disparities in infectious diseases among women
in developing countries. Emerg Infect Dis [serial on the Internet]. 2004
No [date cited]. Available from http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/vol10no11/04-0624_12.htm
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