Reporting the results of its first-ever worldwide study pertaining to the health of women, the World Health Organization said on Monday that the foremost cause of death and disease in women, in the age-group 15 to 44 years, is the AIDS virus.

The study revealed that compared to any other pathogen, it is the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that most young women around the globe fall a prey to - with one in every five deaths among women in the mentioned age-group being linked to unsafe sex.

According to the findings of the UN agency, for women of childbearing age in developing countries, unsafe sex is the leading risk factor, followed by lack of access to contraceptives as well as deficiency of iron.

Pointing to the 'preventable tragedy' whereby nearly 15 percent of adult women die during or shortly after giving birth, WHO chief Dr Margaret Chan said that, in most parts of the world, women are considered to be 'second-class citizens.'

In the 91-page report, WHO said: 'Women who do not know how to protect themselves from such infections, or who are unable to do so, face increased risks of death or illness. So do those who cannot protect themselves from unwanted pregnancy or control their fertility because of lack of access to contraception."