Fig. 1

Graphic representation of women and men subpopulations progressing through the different stages of the disease since they acquire the infection from infectious males and women, respectively¹. ¹At any stage of the disease, women (X) can become sexual workers (W), at rate σ, or reverse that condition, at rate σr. The aging rate α controls the transition from young [see superscript (0)] to adult women (see superscript (1)). All stages, both in men and women, are subject to mortality. Additional disease-induced mortality is only considered during the AIDS phase (see subscript A). For simplicity, arrows representing this fatal transition are not shown. The typical course of a HIV infection is drawn on the top panel