From Mark Cichocki, R.N.,
Your Guide to AIDS / HIV.
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HIV infection in women offers uniques challenges for the woman living with HIV and the person caring for her. Unfortunately, in some parts of the world HIV/AIDS among women is growing at an alarming rate. Let's take a look at the HIV statistics related to HIV and women. What is the status of HIV/AIDS among women of the world?

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HIV Among Women

In the early years of the HIV epidemic, few women were diagnosed with the disease. Today about 25 percent of all new HIV cases are women. Women of color have been particularly hard hit. As of 2004:

• AIDS was the leading cause of death among black women aged 25 to 34 years old; the third leading cause of death among black women 35 to 44 years old; the fourth leading cause of death among black women 45 to 54 years old.

• AIDS is the fourth leading cause of death among Hispanic women 35 to 44 years old.

• HIV infection was the fifth leading cause of death among all women 35 to 44 years old; sixth leading cause of death among all women 25 to 44 years old.

• The only diseases that cause greater number of deaths among women are cancer and heart disease.

HIV Statistics - 2005

• Approximately 9700 women were diagnosed with HIV
  • 80 percent were from heterosexual transmission

• Approximately 37,000 people were newly diagnosed with HIV
  • 26 percent of these were women

• There were about 127,000 women living with HIV in 2005
  • 64 percent were black
  • 19 percent were white
  • 15 percent were Hispanic
  • one percent were Asian / Pacific Islander
  • less than one percent were American Indian / Alaska Native

• The number of women with HIV decreased from almost 12,000 in 2001 to about 9700 in 2005.

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AIDS Statistics - 2005

• Of the nearly 41,000 AIDS diagnoses in the US, 26 percent were women.

• The AIDS diagnosis rate for black women was 23 times greater than white women and 4 times the rate of Hispanic women.

• Of the 422,000 people living with AIDS in the US, 23 percent were women.

• 25 percent of all AIDS deaths in the US were women.

• 19 percent of all AIDS cases from 1981 to 2005 were women

• In 1992 women accounted for 19 percent of people living with AIDS. By 2005 that number had grown to 23 percent.

• While black and Hispanic women together represent 24 percent of the US female population, they represent 82 percent of the AIDS diagnoses in 2005.

_Source

Center for Disease Control; "HIV/AIDS Among Women"; 1 Jun 2007.