• Nearly one million Americans are living with HIV and more than 40 million people around the world are infected.
  
  
• Women account for a growing share of new AIDS diagnoses in the U.S. rising from 8% of AIDS diagnoses in 1985 to 27% in 2003.
  
  
• African American women accounted for 67% of estimated female AIDS cases in 2003, but only 3% of the U.S. female population.
  
  
• Latina women accounted for 16% of estimated female AIDS cases in 2003, and 13% of the female population.
  
  
• Most female AIDS cases were diagnosed between the ages of 25 and 44 (71%). This indicates that many were likely infected several years earlier.
  
  
• In 2002, teen girls accounted for half 51% of HIV cases reported among those ages 13-19, young women ages 20-24 accounted for 37% of HIV cases in their age group.
  
  
• Most AIDS diagnoses among women are due to heterosexual transmission (71% of estimated new AIDS diagnoses in 2003) followed by injection drug use (27%).
  
  
• Among younger women, ages 20-24 heterosexual transmission accounts for 79% of estimated new AIDS cases and 61% among teen girls, ages 13-19.
  
  
• The HIV Cost and Services Utilization Study (HCSUS), the only nationally representative study of people with HIV/AIDS receiving regular ongoing medical care for HIV infection, found that women with HIV were disproportionately low-income.
  
  
• Nearly two-thirds (64%) had annual incomes below $10,000 compared to (41%) of men.
  
  
• Most women with HIV/AIDS receiving medical care have children under age 18 in their homes (76%), which may complicate their ability to manage their own illness.
  
  
• Women with HIV were more likely to postpone care because they lacked transportation (26%) or were too sick to go to the doctor (23%) than men (12% and 14%).
  

On line references: www.kaisernetwork.org

How to Become More Involved Get educated about the virus, the disease and the statistics affecting your community and of the world. Be aware of your status, get tested! Stay involved in the political process because research dollars and funding are at stake. Spread your knowledge to those you love and the friends you care about and whomever you feel will benefit from the information. Volunteer your time at a local AIDS Services Organization.

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