JAMA. 1997 Sep 17;278(11):911-6. Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE
CONTEXT: The effect of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome AIDS)
epidemic on women is substantial and warrants an updated analysis.
OBJECTIVE: To describe AIDS incidence trends in women. DESIGN: We
analyzed national surveillance data on women 13 years of age and older
with AIDS reported through June 1996. Data were adjusted for reporting
delay, unreported risk, and the 1993 change in AIDS surveillance case
definition to assess overall trends and examine trends by age group and
birth cohort. SETTING: Surveillance conducted by the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention in collaboration with state and local health
departments. RESULTS: In 1995, women accounted for 19% of AIDS cases in
adults; AIDS incidence rates per 100000 women were highest in black
women (50.1), women in the Northeast (22.3), heterosexual contacts
(5.5), and women living in metropolitan statistical areas with more than
1 million residents (15.9). Greatest increases in rates between 1991 and
1995 by region and mode of transmission were in the South and in
heterosexual contacts. Greatest increases in AIDS incidence rates were
observed in heterosexually infected women born between 1970 and 1974,
ie, women who were 14 to 18 years old in 1988. CONCLUSIONS: These trends
predict continued growth of the number of AIDS cases in women,
especially in those in the South and those infected heterosexually, and
suggest that successive cohorts of young women may be at risk for human
immunodeficiency virus infection as they reach adolescence and young
adulthood. Prevention programs must reach young women before they
initiate sexual activity and drug use.
*Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome/EPIDEMIOLOGY