National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

Women and Girls are Taking Action in the Fight Against HIV/AIDS

What is National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day?

National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day is a day to "Share Knowledge. Take Action." The nationwide observance held each March 10 sheds light on the disease's often overlooked impact on women and girls and empowers people to make a difference.

Every year on this important day, thousands of people, advocacy organizations, and local and state public health officials share the facts about HIV/AIDS and how it affects women and girls. They also take action in a variety of ways, such as:

• Telling women and girls how to prevent HIV/AIDS
• Getting more of them to get tested
• Providing services to those living with the disease
• Doing whatever it takes to reduce the impact of HIV/AIDS

You can help, too! Together, we can educate others, change behaviors, and help shape the future for women and girls.

Who organizes National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day?

National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day is coordinated by the Office on Women's Health (OWH), within the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. And OWH has lots of help. Our partners play a critical role in promoting the observance in communities across the nation.

Why observe National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day?

HIV/AIDS is a serious public health issue for women and girls. In 2010, they made up two-thirds of people who got the disease by having heterosexual sex. African-American women and girls continue to be disproportionately affected. Their rate of becoming infected with HIV in 2010 was 20 times that of white women and girls.

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Content last updated January 25, 2013.