Michelle Obama Can Highlight 'Disproportionate Impact' of HIV/AIDS on Women, Girls During Africa Visit

__ A good focus on social and economic determinants of health __

When first lady Michelle Obama travels to Ghana with the President in July she has the opportunity to shine a spotlight on the "disproportionate impact of AIDS on women and girls" worldwide, in turn helping to "strengthen the AIDS response – at home and abroad," Janet Fleischman, senior associate at the Global Health Policy Center of the Center for Strategic and International Studies writes in an allAfrica.com guest column.

By "[a]ddressing the social and economic barriers that women and girls face in accessing AIDS prevention and treatment services; [s]ensibly integrating HIV/AIDS with family planning programs; and [e]nsuring the involvement of women and girls, including women living with HIV, in the design and implementation of AIDS programs" Fleischman writes that Obama could help to strengthen "women in their communities to respond to the AIDS crisis." Fleischman concludes, "Mrs. Obama has urged girls to believe in their dreams and to control their destinies. In taking on global Aids, she has the chance to help ensure that women and girls use those messages to save their lives" (Fleischman, allAfrica.com, 5/29).