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AIDS and HIV Statistics

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The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that from the time AIDS was first diagnosed in the United States in 1981 through the year 2009, over 1,142,000 people were diagnosed with the disease in this country and its dependent areas. Also since 1981, nearly 2 million people are estimated to have been infected with HIV, which is the virus that causes AIDS.

AIDS and HIV are prevalent in all 50 U.S. states as well as the District of Columbia, and U.S.-dependent areas consisting of American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Difficulties arise in tracking HIV statistics because not all states and reporting agencies use the same system of record keeping. Currently, only 40 states and five dependent areas track HIV infection using Confidential Name-Based HIV Infection Reporting.

Because the HIV virus is the cause of AIDS, statistics for HIV infection include people at all stages of the disease, including those in early stages and those in whom HIV has progressed to AIDS. (CDC)

Here is a summary of some key AIDS and HIV statistics:

• More than one million people in the U.S. currently have HIV.
• 1 in 5 people with HIV don’t know they are infected.
• Someone is infected with HIV in the United States every 9 ½ minutes.

The CDC also tracks HIV and AIDS infection based on several different categories:

Risk Factors
Men who have sex with men (MSM) are in the highest risk category for HIV infection. Although only 4 percent of U.S. men are in this category, MSM are more than 44 times as likely to develop HIV as other groups.

More than half of all new infections each year are in this category, as are 48 percent of all people living with HIV. People who use injection drugs account for 12 percent of new HIV diagnoses and 25 percent of all those living with HIV. (aids.gov)

Race/Ethnicity
African-Americans are in the highest risk category for HIV. At approximately 12 percent of the total population, blacks account for 46 percent of all people living with HIV in the United States, as well as 45 percent of new infections each year. Hispanics and Latinos are also at higher risk than other ethnic groups. (aids.gov)

Women
27 percent of new HIV infections and 25 percent of people who have HIV are women. (aids.gov)

Children
In 2008, just over 4,000 children younger than age 13 had AIDS. The majority of these children contracted the disease from their infected mothers at the time they were born. (Avert)

Although AIDS continues to be a deadly disease, the overall number of people dying from AIDS has stabilized at approximately 16,500 to 18,000 each year. The total number of people in the United States who have died from AIDS since 1981 is estimated at over 617,000. (Avert)

Early diagnosis and treatment of the condition is a key component in preventing this number from climbing. If you have not been infected with HIV, you can help protect yourself from this disease by abstaining from sexual contact, or by always using a latex condom when having sex.

Sources:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. HIV/AIDS Statistics and Surveillance. Web. November 2, 2011.
http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/surveillance/basic.htm

Avert. United States HIV & AIDS Statistics Summary. Web. November 2, 2011.
http://www.avert.org/usa-statistics.htm

AIDS.gov. U.S. Statistics. Web. November 2, 2011.
http://aids.gov/hiv-aids-basics/hiv-aids-101/overview/statistics/

Reviewed November 3, 2011
by Michele Blacksberg RN
Edited by Jody Smith

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We value and respect our HERWriters' experiences, but everyone is different. Many of our writers are speaking from personal experience, and what's worked for them may not work for you. Their articles are not a substitute for medical advice, although we hope you can gain knowledge from their insight.

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