As the Human Immuno- Deficiency Virus, the cause of AIDS, continues to spread in many parts of the world, women are now said to constitute an increasingly large proportion of those infected worldwide. This statistic has mainly been attributed to the fact that until lately, women did not have an independent method of protection by which they could help shield themselves from both pregnancy and infection of sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV.
Shakeel Ahmed lbne Mahmood is senior administrative officer, ICDDR, B-lnternational Center for Health and Population Research, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Currently, he is enrolled in the University of Maine\u27s MPA program
