(CDC) Adolescents and HIV/AIDS

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; March, 1998

Up to one-quarter of the estimated 40,000 new cases of HIV infection that occur in the United States each year may be among young people under age 22. This fact sheet summaries the scope of HIV/AIDS among adolescents, current trends, risk behaviors, and CDC's efforts to prevent and control the epidemic among adolescents.

Scope of the Epidemic

Over the past decade, the number of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) cases reported each year among U.S. adolescents (13-19 years of age) has increased substantially. In 1986, 53 adolescents were reported with AIDS. By 1996 the number of cases reported that year had risen to 403. Through June 1997, a total of 2,953 AIDS cases among adolescents have been reported.

Although the number of adolescents with AIDS is relatively small, substantially more young people are infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) than are living with AIDS. Since the period between HIV infection and AIDS diagnosis can be many years, it is clear that large numbers of people who develop AIDS in their 20s became infected with HIV as adolescents. Through June 1997, more than 22,000 AIDS cases among people aged 20-24 and more than 85,000 among those aged 25-29 have been reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

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Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeard in 1998. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.

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This information is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.
©1997. AEGIS.