Challenges of a hidden epidemic: HIV prevention among women in the United States

• Authors: Sally L. Hodder, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey; Jessica Justman, Columbia University; Danielle F. Haley, FHI; Adaora A. Adimora, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Catherine I. Fogel, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Carol E. Golin, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Anne O'leary, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Lydia Soto-Torres, National Institutes of Health; Gina Wingood, Emory University; Wafaa M. El-Sadr, Columbia University
• Journal Title: Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes
• Volume: Volume 55, Number SUPPL. 2
• Publisher: Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins | 2010-12-15, Pages S69-S73
• Type of Work: Article | Post-print: After Peer Review
• Publisher DOI: http://doi.org/10.1097/QAI.0b013e3181fbbdf9
• Subjects: Health Sciences, Pathology; Health Sciences, Immunology
• Keywords: African Americans; Female; HIV Infections; Humans; Incidence; Risk Factors; Sexual Behavior; United States; Women's Health

Abstract

HIV/AIDS trends in the United States depict a concentrated epidemic with hot spots that vary by location, poverty, race/ethnicity, and transmission mode. HIV/AIDS is a leading cause of death among US women of color; two-thirds of new infections among women occur in black women, despite the fact that black women account for just 14% of the US female population. The gravity of the HIV epidemic among US women is often not appreciated by those at risk and by the broader scientific community. We summarize the current epidemiology of HIV/AIDS among US women and discuss clinical, research, and public health intervention components that must be brought together in a cohesive plan to reduce new HIV infections in US women. Only by accelerating research and programmatic efforts will the hidden epidemic of HIV among US women emerge into the light and come under control.