Participate in the National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
March 10, 2006 marks the first annual National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. This day is intended to raise awareness on the increasing impact of HIV/AIDS transmission on women and girls.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, currently there are an estimated 1.039 million to 1.185 million HIV-positive individuals living in the United States. It is estimated that of these, between 252,000-315,000 do not know they are infected, and therefore are suffering from a lack of treatment as well as may be unknowingly spreading the virus. Of the approximately 944,306 Americans that have been diagnosed with AIDS since the beginning of the epidemic through 2004, 178,463 of those occurred in adult/adolescent females. Women represent 27 percent of new AIDS diagnoses in 2004, compared to only 11 percent of new AIDS cases reported in 1990.
HIV/AIDS is taking a devastating and disproportionate toll on people of color in the United States. Among women, Blacks and Hispanics accounted for roughly 81 percent of reported AIDS cases in 2004. Additionally, women of color account for 80 percent of all women estimated to be living with AIDS, with Black women making up 64 percent of the total alone. Women across racial/ethnic groups most commonly report heterosexual contact or injection drug use as their primary modes of exposure to HIV.
Women and Girls Day is sponsored by the Office of Women’s Health. In support of this observance day, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is hosting a National Women and Girls Awareness Day website that offers materials to help educate, motivate, and mobilize local communities in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Materials offered on the website include a poster, a flyer, and a National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS fact sheet. In addition, the website lists events that will be held throughout the U.S. in observance of Women and Girls Day.
According to the Office of Women’s Health, in addition to participating in the Women and Girls Day, other ways to combat HIV/AIDS among women and girls include: learn about HIV/AIDS and its impact on your community; protect yourself against HIV infection by knowing the risks associated with sex and drug use; get tested in order to know your status to protect yourself and others; educate others about HIV/AIDS; volunteer at a local HIV/AIDS organization; organize a community meeting; help someone living with AIDS by being a friend; help end the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS; and implement an activity to support HIV/AIDS observances.
For additional information, please contact:
Office on Women's Health
Department of Health and Human Services
200 Independence Avenue, SW Room 712E
Washington, DC 20201
Phone: 202-690-7650
Fax: 202-205-2631
Source: National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day Website.