WHO's 2009 report entitled Women and health1 contains a sentence that has unfortunately made headlines and been featured in a UNAIDS press release.2 “Globally, HIV is the leading cause of death and disease in women of reproductive age” (p 43).1 Although the estimated 682 000 HIV-related deaths of women aged 15–44 years exceed the 517 000 deaths from pregnancy-related causes and those due to other disorders except injuries (750 000),3 the statement is misleading from at least two perspectives. First,...