HIV/AIDS

Minority Women's Health > American Indians/Alaska Natives > Health Topics > HIV/AIDS

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is the virus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). HIV weakens your immune system, which makes it hard for your body to fight off other health problems that it could normally resist. As time goes on, your body becomes less able to fight off diseases.

Today, women account for one out of every four new HIV cases in the U.S. HIV is a growing problem for American Indians/Alaska Natives. New cases of AIDS are higher for American Indians/Alaska Natives than for whites, but lower than they are for African Americans and Hispanic/Latinos. Among American Indians/Alaska Natives, almost one out of every three new HIV cases is a woman.

Take these steps to protect yourself:

Use latex condoms every time you have any kind of sex (vaginal, oral, or anal).
If you use drugs and cannot or will not stop injecting drugs, use new, sterile syringes to prepare and inject drugs.
If you're getting a tattoo or having your body pierced, ask what procedures they use to prevent the spread of HIV. If they do not use new, sterilized, or disinfected equipment, go somewhere else.

Publications

Women and HIV/AIDS - Womenshealth.gov created the Women and HIV/AIDS web page to provide women and their loved ones with resources and information they can use to get help. This web page contains links to HIV/AIDS publications about prevention, testing, living with the disease, opportunistic infections, care, HIV/AIDS and pregnancy, legislation and rights, financial assistance, research and clinical trials, personal stories, and AIDS worldwide.
http://www.womenshealth.gov/HIV/
American Indian Health - This web site is an information portal for and about the health of native peoples of the United States.
http://americanindianhealth.nlm.nih.gov/
HIV Infection in Minority Populations - This fact sheet addresses the growing number of reported AIDS cases in minority communities, clinical research that has been done, and current epidemiological research.
http://www.niaid.nih.gov/factsheets/Minor.htm
HIV/AIDS among American Indians and Alaska Natives - This fact sheet discusses HIV/AIDS among American Indians and Alaska Natives. HIV/AIDS is a growing problem among American Indians and Alaska Natives.
http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/resources/factsheets/aian.htm
Native American AIDS Specific Links/Resources - This internet site provides a list of AIDS resources specific to the Native American population, such as national and local projects, educational organizations and health centers.
http://www.ihs.gov/MedicalPrograms/AIDS/hiv-coe-native-american-aids-specific-res...
American Red Cross: HIV/AIDS Education (Copyright © The American National Red Cross) - The Red Cross, working in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, educates people on how to stop the transmission of HIV, encourages people to respond in informed ways to people who have HIV, and helps people apply the facts about HIV to their own behavior. These goals are accomplished through educational programs.
http://www.redcross.org/services/hss/hivaids
Key Indian Health Issues: STD/HIV (Copyright © NPAIHB) - This fact sheet provides statistics on the rates of HIV infection in the American Indian and Alaska Native community. It also provides suggestions on what to do to help prevent the spread of AIDS.
http://www.npaihb.org/health_issues/hiv_std_aids/
Revised HIV/AIDS Statistics Support the Need for Increased Prevention Efforts in the Native Community - This fact sheet discusses new statistics for the number of Native Americans infected with HIV/AIDS.
http://www.nnaapc.org/pdf/Press-Release/2008-statistics-response-PR.pdf

Organizations

= Indicates Federal Resources

Current as of December 2007