Anna Forbes

A Washington, D.C.-based writer, policy analyst, organizer, and women’s health activist, Anna Forbes has worked in HIV/AIDS continuously since 1985. Now an independent consultant with an international client list, her work centers around women, HIV, health, and rights. Her sub-speciality is advocacy for greater and more meaningful inclusion of sex workers in HIV/AIDS services planning and policy generally, and in prevention specifically. She has published widely on women’s health and HIV/AIDS in both the popular and academic press and is the author of eight children’s books on HIV/AIDS. She is an independent consultant and staff to the U.S. Women and PrEP Working Group.

A Pill to Prevent HIV? What the New iPrEx Results Mean for Women

Anna Forbes

Proof that PrEP works – that there is, literally, a pill can help to prevent HIV -- is an extraordinary breakthrough, as was the news received last summer that an effective vaginal microbicide had been identified.  But what does a study focused on people engaging in rectal-penile sex have to do with women and their reproductive health?  There are many ways to answer that question -- some of them cause for celebration and some reasons for real concern.