HIV and Women

Though HIV diagnoses^a among women^b have declined in recent years, more than 7,000 women received an HIV diagnosis in the United States (US) and dependent areas ^c in 2018.

The Numbers

 HIV Diagnoses

New HIV Diagnoses Among Women by Transmission Category in the US and Dependent Areas, 2018

HIV Diagnoses Among Women in the 50 States and District of Columbia, 2010-2017

* Changes in subpopulations with fewer HIV diagnoses can lead to a large percentage increase or decrease.
† Hispanics/Latinas can be of any race.
‡ Black refers to people having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa. African American is a term often used for Americans of African descent with ancestry in North America.
Source: CDC. NCHHSTP AtlasPlus. Accessed March 26, 2020.

Source: CDC. NCHHSTP AtlasPlus. Accessed March 26, 2020.

Living With HIV

Women With HIV in the 50 States and District of Columbia

Deaths

In 2017, there were 4,006 deaths among women with diagnosed HIV in the US and dependent areas. These deaths may be due to any cause.

Prevention Challenges

1 in 9 women with HIV are unaware they have it. People who do not know they have HIV cannot take advantage of HIV care and treatment and may unknowingly pass HIV to others.

Because some women may be unaware of their male partner’s risk factors for HIV (such as injection drug use or having sex with men), they may not use protection (like condoms or medicine to prevent HIV). In a behavioral survey pdf icon[PDF – 922 KB] of heterosexual women at increased risk for HIV, 93% of HIV-negative women reported having vaginal sex without a condom in the previous year, and 26% reported having anal sex without a condom.

In general, receptive sex is riskier than insertive sex. This means that women have a higher risk for getting HIV during vaginal or anal sex than their sex partners.

HIV testing rates were low among women who reported having sex without a condom and reported multiple sex partners. Testing rates were especially low among women who reported anal sex. In a studyexternal icon, only 20% of women who reported anal sex also reported having an HIV test. Receptive anal sex is the riskiest behavior for getting HIV.

Some sexually transmitted diseases, such as gonorrhea and syphilis, greatly increase the likelihood of getting or transmitting HIV.

Women who have been sexually abused may be more likely than women who have not to engage in risky behaviors like exchanging sex for drugs, having multiple sex partners, or having sex without protection (such as using condoms or taking medicines to prevent or treat HIV).

What CDC Is Doing

CDC is pursuing a high-impact HIV prevention approach to maximize the effectiveness of HIV prevention interventions and strategies. Funding state, territorial, and local health departments and community-based organizations (CBOs) to develop and implement tailored programs is CDC’s largest investment in HIV prevention. This includes longstanding successful programs and new efforts funded through the Ending the HIV Epidemic initiative. In addition to funding health departments and CBOs, CDC is also strengthening the HIV prevention workforce and developing HIV communication resources for consumers and health care providers.

• Under the integrated HIV surveillance and prevention cooperative agreement, CDC awards around $400 million per year to health departments for HIV data collection and prevention efforts. This award directs resources to the populations and geographic areas of greatest need, while supporting core HIV surveillance and prevention efforts across the US.
• In 2019, CDC awarded $12 million to support the development of state and local Ending the HIV Epidemic plans in 57 of the nation’s priority areas. To further enhance capacity building efforts, CDC uses HIV prevention resources to fund the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD) $1.5 million per year to support strategic partnerships, community engagement, peer-to-peer technical assistance, and planning efforts.
• In 2020, CDC will award around $109 million per year to support the implementation of state and local Ending the HIV Epidemic plans with a five-year funding program.
• Under the flagship community-based organization cooperative agreement, CDC awards about $42 million per year to community organizations. This award directs resources to support the delivery of effective HIV prevention strategies to key populations.
• In 2019, CDC awarded a cooperative agreement to strengthen the capacity and improve the performance of the nation’s HIV prevention workforce. New elements include dedicated providers for web-based and classroom-based national training, and technical assistance tailored within four geographic regions.
• Through its Let’s Stop HIV Together campaign, CDC offers resources about HIV stigma, testing, prevention, and treatment and care. This campaign is part of the Ending the HIV Epidemic initiative.

^a HIV diagnoses refers to the number of people who received an HIV diagnosis during a given time period, not when the people got HIV infection.
^b Adult and adolescent women aged 13 and older.
^c Unless otherwise noted, the term United States (US) includes the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the 6 dependent areas of American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, the Republic of Palau, and the US Virgin Islands.
^d Black refers to people having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa. African American is a term often used for Americans of African descent with ancestry in North America.