Health Status > Health Indicators
AIDS
Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is caused
by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which damages or kills
the cells that are responsible for fighting infection. An AIDS diagnosis
is received when an HIV infection becomes advanced and meets certain
criteria determined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC). AIDS was first reported in 1981 and, during the following
decade, was primarily diagnosed in men who had sex with men, but
the disease has since become more prevalent among women. In 1988,
7,504 AIDS cases were reported among men compared to 524 cases among
women. In 2004, the number of cases among women had grown to 11,442,
an increase of over 2,000 percent. In 1993, the CDC expanded the
criteria for AIDS cases to include persons with severe immunosuppression,
pulmonary tuberculosis, recurrent pneumonia, and invasive cervical
cancer. This change is partially responsible for the greatly increased
number of reported AIDS cases among women.
Non-Hispanic Black women are disproportionately
affected by AIDS. In 2004, 7,586 non-Hispanic Black women were diagnosed
with AIDS, compared to 1,972 non-Hispanic White women and 2,084
Hispanic women. Overall, 44 percent of cases among women were attributable
to heterosexual contact, while 20 percent were due to injection
drug use, and 1 percent were due to a coagulation disorder or receipt
of blood/blood components; the remaining 35 percent were of other
or unknown cause. Over the past decade, the numbers of women being
diagnosed with AIDS and the number of deaths among women with AIDS
has increased only slightly, while the number of women living with
AIDS has increased dramatically, due in large part to recent advances
in antiretroviral therapy.
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HORIZONTAL BAR CHART: Female AIDS Cases, Aged 13 and Older,
by Exposure Category and Race/Ethnicity, 2004
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LINE CHART: Estimated Number of Women Diagnosed with AIDS,
Living with AIDS, and Dying with AIDS, 1998-2004
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