National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day 2012

March 10 is National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, a day to recognize the special risks HIV/AIDS pose for women and girls, and to raise awareness of the disease's impact on them.

HIV Among Women and Girls

National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day is a time each year when organizations and communities across the United States come together to offer support, encourage discussion, and teach women and girls about prevention of HIV, the importance of getting tested, and how to live with and manage HIV and AIDS.

In 2009, women comprised 51% of the US population and accounted for 23% of new HIV infections. Of the total number of new HIV infections among women, 57% were among black women, 21% were in white women, and 18% were in Latina women. The rate of new HIV infections among black women was 15 times as high as that of white women and over 3 times as high as that of Latina women in 2009.

The reasons why black and Latina women are more affected by HIV and AIDS than women of other racial and ethnic groups are not directly related to race or ethnicity, but rather to the circumstances that place these women and girls at greater risk of becoming infected with HIV. These circumstances may include higher rates of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections in communities of color, limited access to high-quality health care, poverty, stigma, fear, and discrimination.

Personal factors also put all women at risk for HIV, regardless of age, race, or ethnicity.

• Heterosexual sex puts women at risk for HIV. It is important to know a male partner's HIV status and insist upon condom use during sexual encounters.
• Unprotected vaginal sex puts women at risk for HIV, and unprotected anal sex places women at an even greater risk for HIV transmission.
• Women who have experienced sexual abuse may use drugs as a coping mechanism, find it difficult to refuse unwanted sex, exchange sex for drugs, or engage in risky sexual behaviors, all of which increase HIV transmission risk.
• Sharing equipment contaminated with HIV to inject drugs and other substances increases HIV risk. Being under the influence of drugs or alcohol can also lead to high-risk behaviors, such as unprotected sex.
• Having a sexually transmitted disease greatly increases the chances of HIV. Women of color are at even greater risk due to higher rates of gonorrhea and syphilis compared to white women.
• Social determinants of health like poverty or limited access to high-quality health care; the exchange of sex for drugs, money, or to meet other needs; and higher levels of substance use can increase HIV risk.

CDC is committed to ensuring that all women, especially populations that are most heavily affected, are armed with the tools necessary to prevent HIV. For example, Take Charge. Take the Test is a multi-faceted social marketing initiative designed to increase HIV testing among black/African American women. This effort, which is part of CDC's national Act Against AIDS communication campaign, helps African American women recognize their risk of getting HIV and the need for HIV testing. It also empowers them by providing information, encourages them to get tested, and enables them to take charge of their lives—whatever their HIV test result.

What Can Women Do?

There are several ways you can reduce your risk for getting HIV. Below are a few things you can do to look out for yourself and stay healthy.

1. Don't have sex.
   Abstaining from sex means not having any type of sex at all—oral, anal, or vaginal. Abstinence is 100% effective in preventing sexual transmission of HIV.

2. Be faithful.
   Being sexually active with only one person who has agreed to be sexually active only with you is one of the best ways to protect yourself from HIV. Your chances of getting HIV will also be lower if both of you have recently tested negative for HIV.
   
   Also, talk to your partner about sex and HIV. Learn as much as you can about their past behavior (sex and drug use) and consider the risks to your health before you have sex.

3. Use a condom.
   Using a latex condom every time you have oral, anal, or vaginal sex reduces your risk of HIV. Other forms of birth control don't protect you from getting HIV. Male and female condoms are the only effective form of birth control that also helps reduce the risk of transmission for HIV and most other STDs. If you do have sex, use a latex condom every time.

4. Don't share certain items.
   Don't share needles, syringes and related works or anything else that might bring you into contact with someone else's blood or bodily fluids. HIV is not transmitted by casual contact, so it's ok to shake hands or share dishes with someone who is living with HIV.

5. Don't use drugs or alcohol with sex.
   Don't have sex when you are taking drugs or drinking alcohol because being high or intoxicated can make you more likely to make unsafe sexual decisions.

6. Get tested for STDs.
   If you think you may have been exposed to another STD such as gonorrhea, syphilis, or chlamydia, get tested. Being infected with other STDs makes you two to five times more likely to get HIV as a person who doesn't have any STDs. So get tested (and treated, if necessary) for STDs. Find an STD testing site near you by typing your zip code into the testing site locator.
   

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. This observance day helps organizations and communities across the country come together to offer support, encourage discussion, and teach women and girls about prevention of HIV, the importance of getting tested for HIV, and how to live with and manage HIV and AIDS.

Make National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day a day to get the facts about HIV—to learn how HIV is spread, if you are at risk, and how to protect yourself and your loved ones. And, if you are a parent, talk with your kids about HIV. It's time to get tested.

More Information

• CDC: HIV Among Women
  Information and resources on women and HIV.
• CDC: HIV Among Youth
  Information and resources on youth and HIV.
• Act Against AIDS
  Act Against AIDS campaign resources and basic information about HIV and AIDS.
  • Take Charge. Take the Test. – This campaign targets African American women ages 18 to 34. Young African American women can take charge of their lives by knowing their HIV status – and by taking steps to protect themselves from HIV.
• National HIV Testing Resources
  Locate an HIV and STI testing location near you.
• WomensHealth.gov
  Sponsored by the HHS Office on Women's Health. Empowering women to live healthier lives.
• AIDS.gov
  Federal resources on HIV/AIDS.
• Black Women's Health Imperative
  The Black Women's Health Imperative seeks to improve the health of black women by providing wellness education and services, health information, and advocacy.
• AIDSInfo
  Information on treatment and clinical trials.