And it is a violation of the physical integrity of woman's body, leaving a lifetime of physical and emotional scars. AIDS, which threatens whole families and regions, demands the strongest possible response. Governments and the international community must address head-on the growing number of women who are being infected. It's the leading cause of death for women in their prime in the developed world. In my own country, it is hard to find a family, an office, or a neighborhood that has not been touched by this disease.
Tobacco use is the number one preventable cause of death.
As the WHO points out, we also need to recognize and effectively address the fact that women are far more likely to be exposed to work-related and environmental health hazards. Policies to alleviate and eliminate such health hazards associated with work in the home and in the workplace demand action. Research also indicates that certain communicable diseases affect women in greater numbers. Tuberculosis, for example, is responsible for the deaths of one million women each year and those in their early and reproductive years are most vulnerable. It is the health of their families and communities as well.