The Sun News Online | Woman of the Sun

As women all over the world celebrated the International Women’s Day, she had only one thing on her mind. Her determination to enlighten Nigerian women on the advantages of microbicides. Her words: "There is the need for Nigerians to embrace the use of microbicide as an effective strategy for preventing further spread of HIV/AIDS in the country."

That was Grace Hygie Enwerem, an activist and social worker.
The microbicide, Enwerem says, is a substance that is capable of substantially reducing the transmission of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). It is a substance that can be applied either in the vagina or rectum. The product comes in various forms like gels, creams, suppositories, films, lubricants or even in the form of sponge or vagina rings.

"This is a new device that is already being embraced in many countries now, although research is still going on. One important advantage microbicide has is that, while it is not a replacement for condom, it can substantially give women some leverage in a society like ours where the men take almost all the decisions on sex and reproductive health."

To buttress her point, Enwerem goes on to paint vivid pictures of women’s susceptibility to HIV/AIDs than their male counterpart. "Approximately 6,800 people become infected with HIV every day. Half of them are women. In 2007, 61 per cent of the people living with HIV/AIDs in sub-Saharan Africa were women and girls. The majority had only one mode of exposure to HIV, and it was sex with their intimate partners".

Younger women are at greatest risk because the immature cervix is more vulnerable to damage and infection. "Among African youths, three quarters of those who are HIV positive are female. In some of these countries, girls are 5-6 times more likely to HIV than their male peers. This is because women are more vulnerable to infections and its consequences. One of the reasons for this is because vaginal membranes are exposed to infectious fluids for hours after sex."

She adds: "In addition sexually transmitted infections often go undetected and therefore untreated in women. STI’s therefore increase women’s vulnerability to HIV. Untreated STI’s can lead to infertility, ectopic pregnancy, infant mortality and cervical cancer".

Enwerem also talks about the microbicide conference, which took place in India recently. " The microbicide conference is a conference which started since year 2000 and it takes place every two years. The aim is to develop a substance which when applied topically in the vagina and anus will prevent, HIV, STI’s and other sexually transmitted diseases."

It is a tool, which a woman can use without necessarily informing her partner. "The 2008 microbicides conference took place in New Delhi, India, between February 24 and 27."