Today is National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. To many people, it’s just another day. To the many women of color who are impacted by HIV or AIDS, this is the day to inform other women about how to prevent it. As a Latina, this is especially important to me and it’s happening here in the United States to women of color.
HIV/AIDS is a critical threat to women’s health
HIV/AIDS impacts women and girls here in the US, especially women of color, and the best defense against the HIV infection is a good offense. The HIV infection disproportionately affects African-American and Latina women, accounting for 79 percent of new HIV diagnoses by the end of 2010. Getting involved with the National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day is incredibly important to me as I hope that by sharing life-saving information, we can one day live in a world without HIV and AIDS.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
- African-American women made up more than 60% of new HIV infections among women in 2013, but are only 14% of the female population in the United States. 5,6
- Hispanic women made up 16% of new HIV infections among women in 2013 and 17% of the women living with HIV in 2012. 7
- Youth 13 to 24 years old accounted for an estimated 26% of all new HIV infections in the United States in 2010. 8
These groups face serious prevention challenges related to low rates of testing, low condom use, and high rates of sexually transmitted infections.
You can’t tell if someone is HIV-positive just by looking at them and your partner may not know. It’s important to get tested for the HIV infection and always use protection. You can learn more about National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day here and can use your voice to donate a Tweet or Facebook post to raise awareness.
