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Did you Know?
Every 9½ minutes, someone in the United States is infected with HIV.
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Before we can stop any epidemic, we first have to recognize the magnitude of the disease. HIV is still a threat across the United States. And even though there are treatments to help people with HIV live longer than ever before, AIDS is still a significant health issue. Surprised? Get the facts:
- Every 9½ minutes (on average), someone in the United States is infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
- In 2006, an estimated 56,300 people became infected with HIV.
- More than 1 million people in the United States are living with HIV.
- Of those 1 million people living with HIV, 1 out of 5 do not know they are infected. (People who have HIV but don't know it can unknowingly pass the virus to their partners.)
- Despite new therapies, people with HIV still develop AIDS.
- Over 1 million people in the United States have been diagnosed with AIDS.
- More than 14,000 people with AIDS still die each year in the United States.
The HIV/AIDS epidemic isn't just happening in faraway places.
Where did the estimate that every 9½ minutes someone in the United States gets HIV come from?
Although HIV infection is completely preventable, every 9½ minutes, someone in the United States is infected with the virus. That person could be you—or someone you know—your brother, sister, father, mother, friend, co-worker, or neighbor. It is important for everyone to get the facts, talk about HIV/AIDS with partners and loved ones, reduce risk behaviors, and get tested to learn their HIV status.
It's not always easy, but we all must be willing to talk about sex. To protect yourself, you need to understand how a person gets HIV or passes it to someone else. HIV can be passed on when blood, semen (cum), pre-seminal fluid (pre-cum), vaginal fluid, or breast milk from a person who has HIV enters the body of a person who does not have HIV.
The most common ways that HIV is transmitted from one person to another.
Three critical ways of reducing your risk of getting HIV.
Other ways you can protect yourself from getting HIV and other STDs.
Tips for talking about sex and HIV with your partner.
If you need help gaining the skills to protect yourself from HIV or if you would like to know what other people just like you are doing to protect themselves, you may want to contact a local HIV Prevention organization. Search the CDC National Prevention Information Network organization database, or call 1-800-458-5231 and a health information specialist will help you locate an organization in your community.
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| U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention V 1.09.10.01 |
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