MMWR - March 7, 2008 / 57(09);236
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

March 10 is National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. In 2005, women accounted for 26% of newly diagnosed acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) cases (1), compared with 11% in 1990 (2). Of an estimated 9,708 women and adolescent girls who had human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/AIDS diagnosed during 2005, the majority (80%) had become infected through high-risk heterosexual contact, and 19% had become infected through injection-drug use.

Black women were especially affected by HIV/AIDS. In 2005, 66% of the new HIV/AIDS diagnoses in women occurred in black women, compared with 17% in white women and 14% in Hispanic women (1). HIV was the third leading cause of death for black women aged 25--44 years and the fourth leading cause of death for Hispanic women aged 35--44 years (3). Additional information on HIV/AIDS among women and girls is available at http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/women/index.htm and http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/sexualbehaviors/index.htm.

References

1. CDC. Cases of HIV infection and AIDS in the United States and dependent areas, 2005. HIV/AIDS surveillance report. Vol. 17 (revised). Atlanta, GA: US Department of Health and Human Services, CDC; 2007. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/surveillance/resources/reports.

2. CDC. Current trends AIDS in women---United States. MMWR 1990;39:845--6.

3. CDC. Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS™). Leading causes of death reports, 1999--2005. Atlanta, GA: US Department of Health and Human Services, CDC. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/wisqars.

Disclaimer   All MMWR HTML versions of articles are electronic conversions from ASCII text into HTML. This conversion may have resulted in character translation or format errors in the HTML version. Users should not rely on this HTML document, but are referred to the electronic PDF version and/or the original MMWR paper copy for the official text, figures, and tables. An original paper copy of this issue can be obtained from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO), Washington, DC 20402-9371; telephone: (202) 512-1800. Contact GPO for current prices.

Download MM5709

2008-03-07
MM5709-236

All material in the MMWR Series is in the public domain and may be used and reprinted without special permission; citation as to source, however, is appreciated. Questions or messages regarding errors in formatting should be addressed to mmwrq@cdc.gov

AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from Boehringer Ingelheim, Bridgestone/Firestone Charitable Trust, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Elton John AIDS Foundation, Gill Foundation, the National Library of Medicine, Quest Diagnostics, Roche and Trimeris, and donations from users like you.

AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.

Copyright ©1980, 2008. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content.