Women And A.I.D.S.: Swing In Statistics (Press, 22 April 1987)

A report from the Federal Centres for Disease Control highlighted a significant increase in the percentage of American women developing A.I.D.S. through heterosexual contact over the past five years, indicating that heterosexual women currently face a higher risk of acquiring A.I.D.S. via sexual intercourse than heterosexual men. As of five months prior to the report, women accounted for 6.7 per cent of all A.I.D.S. cases in the United States, a figure that has remained relatively stable since 1982. However, the proportion of female patients contracting the disease through sexual intercourse surged from 12 per cent to 26 per cent between 1982 and 1986. The major route of infection for women remains intravenous drug use, making up 52 per cent of all female cases. The study revealed that over 80 per cent of female A.I.D.S. victims are either black or Hispanic. The findings suggest that the rise in heterosexually acquired A.I.D.S. cases among women is likely attributable to two main factors: an increasing number of infected men and the higher efficiency of A.I.D.S. transmission from men to women compared to the reverse. The study noted that women are often infected through sexual encounters with men who are intravenous drug users or bisexuals. It cautioned that assessing risk factors in potential sexual partners could be challenging. As a result, women engaging in casual sexual relationships, particularly in high-risk locations such as New York City and San Francisco, should be vigilant about their potential risk of infection. A.I.D.S., which severely compromises the body's immune system, is primarily transmitted through sexual activities or the sharing of bodily fluids, such as through intravenous drug use with contaminated needles. Notably, the disease can also be transmitted during artificial insemination using infected semen. Furthermore, approximately 80 per cent of all paediatric A.I.D.S. cases can be linked to infected mothers.

The text on this page is created, in the most part, using Generative AI and so may contain errors or omissions. It is supplied to you without guarantee or warranty of correctness. If you find an error or would like to make a content suggestion please get in contact

The text on this page is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 New Zealand