Black Women's Health Imperative Teams with Gilead Sciences, Inc. to Educate Black Women About HIV Prevention
Washington, DC (PRWEB) December 09, 2015 -- The Black Women's Health Imperative and Gilead Sciences, Inc. have joined forces to educate women about PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) as an effective means to prevent HIV infection. According to the CDC, Black women continue to have the highest incidence and prevalence of HIV diagnoses among women, including transgender women, and among heterosexuals.
“This is about saving lives. PrEP can reduce the infection rate among Black women, but only if they know about it. That is why we are taking the lead to educate Black women about this HIV prevention option through our PrEP Yourself! campaign. No one else is doing this work,” said Linda Goler Blount, president and CEO of the Black Women’s Health Imperative.
The partnership between the Imperative and Gilead Sciences, Inc. is the first time PrEP will be marketed directly to heterosexual Black women. The Imperative will launch PrEP Yourself! in Atlanta, Baltimore and Washington, DC in the first quarter of 2016.
PrEP works by taking a daily pill. The CDC reports that “in several studies of PrEP, the risk of getting HIV infection was much lower — up to 92% lower — for those who took the medicines consistently than for those who didn’t take the medicines.”
"Black women make up 13 percent of the U.S. population, but account for more than 60 percent of all HIV cases among women," said Barbara Jackson, director of program design and implementation at the Black Women’s Health Imperative. "PrEP is just one part of a prevention toolkit which also includes condoms and sexual health awareness to protect Black women's health."
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About Black Women’s Health Imperative
The Black Women’s Health Imperative is the only national organization dedicated to improving the health and wellness of the nation’s 21 million Black women and girls — physically, emotionally and financially. We identify the most pressing health issues and invest in the best of the best strategies, partners and organizations that share our goal: ensuring Black women live longer, healthier more prosperous lives.
About Gilead Sciences Inc.
Gilead Sciences, Inc. is a research-based biopharmaceutical company that discovers, develops and commercializes innovative medicines in areas of unmet medical need. We strive to transform and simplify care for people with life-threatening illnesses around the world. Gilead's portfolio of products and pipeline of investigational drugs includes treatments for HIV/AIDS, liver diseases, cancer, inflammatory and respiratory diseases, and cardiovascular conditions.
Rae Oglesby, Black Women's Health Imperative, http://bwhi.org, +1 202-660-1407, [email protected]
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