In the United States, the number of acquired immunodeficiency
syndrome (AIDS) cases reported in women has been steadily
increasing. In addition, AIDS cases in women account for an
increasing proportion of all AIDS cases in the United States. By
the end of 1990, reports to CDC of AIDS cases among women will
exceed 15,000. From November 1989 through October 1990, women
accounted for 11% of all reported cases in adults; from 1988 to
1989, diagnosed cases increased by 29% in women, compared with
18% in men. By 1987, AIDS was the eighth leading cause of death
in women aged 15-44 years; based on current trends, AIDS will be
among the five leading causes of death in this population in 1991
(1).
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection disproportionately
affects women in racial/ethnic minority groups. Although black
and Hispanic women constitute 19% of all U.S. women, they
represent 72% of all U.S. women diagnosed with AIDS. In 1988, the
death rate from HIV infection was nine times higher for black
than for white women (1). These disproportionate rates largely
reflect the occurrence of HIV infection among injecting drug
users and their sex partners.
Although all states have reported AIDS in women, annual rates
for states vary markedly. From November 1989 through October
1990, 4.3 cases were reported per 100,000 women in the United
States. Five areas (the District of Columbia, Florida, New
Jersey, New York, and Puerto Rico) reported greater than 10 cases
per 100,000 women.
Among all cases of AIDS in women, 85% occurred among women of
childbearing age (15-44 years). Approximately one fourth of these
women were 20-29 years of age at the time of diagnosis; many were
probably infected as teenagers.
Reported By: Div of HIV/AIDS, Center for Infectious Diseases,
CDC.
Editorial Note
Editorial Note: Many women in the United States are unaware they
are at risk for HIV infection, and HIV-infected women often
remain undiagnosed until the onset of AIDS or until a perinatally
infected child becomes ill. Many women with HIV infection are of
lower socioeconomic status; therefore, prevention efforts, health
care, and social services--including those for drug
treatment--rely on public resources.
During 1991, in collaboration with state and local health
agencies, CDC will continue to strengthen programs to prevent HIV
transmission in women. These programs will 1) further define the
risk factors for transmission and the natural history of disease
in HIV-infected women; 2) study factors that facilitate or
inhibit condom use and incorporate study findings into
HIV-prevention strategies; 3) continue to assess women's
knowledge of their HIV-risk status and its role in the use of
health services; and 4) expand targeted HIV-intervention
activities at selected sites. In addition, CDC will continue to
collaborate with the U.S. Agency for International Development,
the World Health Organization, other international agencies, and
other countries to better understand and prevent HIV infection
worldwide.
These efforts will assist in decreasing the occurrence of HIV
infection and AIDS among women and increase the number of women
who receive HIV-prevention services, early counseling and HIV
detection, and referral to medical and support services.
Prevention of HIV infection in women is critical for the control
of the HIV epidemic in the United States and throughout the
world.
Reference
Chu SY, Buehler JW, Berkelman RL. Impact of the human
immunodeficiency virus epidemic on mortality in women of
reproductive age, United States. JAMA 1990;264:225-9.
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