December 1st, Worlds Aids Day

An estimated 1.1 million Americans are living with HIV, and yet one out of five don’t know it. World AIDS Day (December 1) is an opportunity for us to take action!

What is HIV? Human Immunodeficiency Virus is a lot like other viruses, including those that cause the "flu" or the common cold. But there is an important difference – over time, your immune system can clear most viruses out of your body. That isn't the case with HIV – the human immune system can't seem to get rid of it. Scientists are still trying to figure out why.

We know that HIV can hide for long periods of time in the cells of your body and that it attacks a key part of your immune system – your T-cells or CD4 cells. Your body has to have these cells to fight infections and disease, but HIV invades them, uses them to make more copies of itself, and then destroys them.

Over time, HIV can destroy so many of your CD4 cells that your body can't fight infections and diseases anymore. When that happens, HIV infection can lead to AIDS.

How do you get HIV? HIV is found in specific human body fluids. If any of those fluids enter your body, you can become infected with HIV.

Which body fluids contain HIV? HIV lives and reproduces in blood and other body fluids. We know that the following fluids can contain high levels of HIV:

  • Blood
  • Semen
  • Pre-seminal fluid
  • Breast milk
  • Vaginal fluids
  • Rectal mucous

Where can I get tested? To locate an HIV testing center visit HIVtest.org 

Why should I get tested for HIV? Click on 5 reasons to get tested to find out more.

Statistics
Here’s what we know about HIV infections in the U.S. (data are from 2006):

  • An estimated 56,300 Americans are newly infected with HIV each year.
  • There are approximately 1.1 million Americans who are living with HIV/AIDS.
  • The CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) estimates that 21% of HIV-positive people don’t know they are infected-meaning they may be transmitting HIV without knowing it.
  • People of color are at disproportionate risk for HIV infection. Nearly half of new infections (49%) were among African Americans, who make up only 13% of the U.S. population. Hispanics accounted for 18% of new HIV infections-and make up only about 15% of the U.S. population.
  • More than half of new cases (57%) were among those aged 25–44. Children younger than 13 years accounted for less than 1% of diagnoses.
  • Men who have sex with men (MSM) continued to account for the largest number of new HIV diagnoses overall, followed by males and females exposed through high-risk heterosexual contact and injection drug use.
  • Males accounted for 73% of all new HIV diagnoses in 2006.
  • Among males, most diagnoses were for MSM.
  • High-risk heterosexual contact also accounts for a considerable proportion of new HIV diagnoses among men of minority races/ethnicities.
  • Among females, most diagnoses were for those exposed through high-risk heterosexual contact.