ROCKING THE RED PUMP!!!

March 10 is National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day – a day to raise awareness of the increasing impact of HIV/AIDS on women and girls and to encourage women and girls to take action and get tested for HIV. It is vital that we as women take a responsible and proactive approach to our sexual health. One of the best ways to do this is to know your status. Today, several health organizations offer free HIV/STD tests. One such place here in Raleigh is the Gateway, located at 1306 Hillsborough Street. Also, Wake County Health & Human Services offers free HIV testing at several locations throughout the city. The HIV/STD Community Program with HHS offers comprehensive education, counseling, testing and case management services for all people living in Wake County. In 2007, black women accounted for 22 percent of newly reported HIV cases in North Carolina, while black men accounted for 40 percent. White women represented 4 percent of new HIV cases in 2007, and white men 24 percent.

If you are in another city or state, and you do not know your nearest testing center, visit HIVtest.org. On the website, you can enter your zip code to find your nearest location, and you can find answers to any questions you may have about HIV/AIDS and HIV testing in general. So, ladies, I beg of you...no, no...I implore you to please know your status, and get tested today!! Your life depends on it. And ROCK THE RED PUMP!!!!

Women have been affected by HIV/AIDS since the beginning of the epidemic, an impact that has grown over time. Women of color, particularly Black women, have been especially hard hit and represent the majority of new HIV infections and AIDS cases among women, and the majority of women living with the disease. Many women with HIV are low-income and most have important family responsibilities, potentially complicating the management of their illness. Research suggests that women with HIV face limited access to care and experience disparities in access, relative to men. Women are also more biologically susceptible to HIV infection during sex, and experience different clinical symptoms and complications. Given these trends and issues, efforts to stem the tide of the U.S. HIV/AIDS epidemic will increasingly depend on how and to what extent its effect on women and girls is addressed.

Snapshot of the Epidemic
• Although men represent the majority of new HIV infections and AIDS cases as well as people living with the disease, the impact on women has grown since the beginning of the epidemic. For instance, women represented 8% of AIDS diagnoses in 1985, 20% in 1995 and 27% in 2000, the same share as today. HIV incidence among women rose gradually until the late 1980s, but then declined in the early 1990s and has remained fairly stable since that time

• Today, there are approximately 1.1 million people living with HIV/AIDS in the U.S., including nearly 280,000 women.

• In 2006, there were 15,000 new HIV infections and 9,801 AIDS cases diagnosed among women.

• There were 3,784 deaths among women with AIDS in 2006.

Key Trends and Current Cases
Race/Ethnicity: Women of color, particularly Black women, are disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS

• Black women accounted for 66% of estimated AIDS cases among women, aged 13 and older, diagnosed in 2006, but only 12% of the U.S. population of women. Latinas accounted for 16% of estimated AIDS cases, compared to 13% of the female population aged 13 and over. Black women also accounted for the majority of new HIV infections among women in 2006.

• Rates per 100,000 illustrate the severe impact on women of color. In 2006, the HIV incidence, AIDS case, and HIV prevalence rates for Black and Latina women were higher than those for white women. The AIDS case rate for Black women was 40.4 per 100,000, or 21 times the rate for white women. The case rate for Latinas of 9.5 was 5 times the rate for white women. The case rate was 3.6 for American Indian/Alaska Native women and 1.6 for Asian/Pacific Islander women. HIV incidence and prevalence rates for women by race/ethnicity show a similar pattern.

• A recent analysis of 1999–2006 data from a national household study found that 1.49% of Black women in the U.S. (among those aged 18–49) were HIV-positive, higher than women of other racial/ethnic groups, but lower than Black men.

• Among women, the number of HIV-related deaths and HIV death rates are highest for Black women. In 2005, HIV was the 3rd leading cause of death among Black women aged 25 to 44, compared to 5th for women overall in the U.S. In 2004, the HIV death rate per 100,000 women, aged 25–44, was 23.1 for Black women, higher than the HIV death rate for white or Latino men in this age group, and second only to the rate among Black men.

Age: The impact of HIV on younger women is particularly notable. More than 6 in 10 new HIV infections among women (including white and Black women and Latinas) were among those aged 13–39 in 2006—32% were aged 13–29 and 31% were aged 30–39. In 2006, teen girls represented 39% of AIDS cases reported among 13–19 year-olds. Black teens represented 69% of cases reported among 13–19 year-olds; Latino teens represented 19%.

These statistics came from the Center for Disease Control website and Kaiser Family Foundation's Fact Sheets (which cited the CDC). Get more information about the effect of the epidemic from these sites.

For those of us living in the South, and Raleigh in particular, check out the Southern AIDS Living Quilt, and this article in the N&O.