National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
March 10, 2013 is National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NWGHAAD), a time to raise awareness about the impact of HIV/AIDS on women and girls and to encourage community action. NWGHAAD is organized by the Office on Women's Health (OWH) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services . This year's theme is "Share Knowledge. Take Action."
HIV/AIDS in Women and Girls
- In 2011, women and adolescent girls (aged 13 and older) accounted for 21% of the estimated 49,273 new diagnoses of HIV infection in the United States.
- Among a total of 10,270 new HIV diagnoses among women and adolescent girls, 86% of HIV infections were attributed to heterosexual contact and 14% to injection drug use.
- Overall, CDC estimates that 279,100 women and adolescent girls were living with HIV at the end of 2009 and that 15% of those did not know that they were infected. This means they are not getting life-saving treatment or taking steps to protect their partners.
- New HIV infections dropped 21% in black women in 2010. Even with reductions in infections, in 2010, the rate of new HIV infections among black women was 20 times that of white women, and the rate among Hispanic/Latino women was 4 times the rate of white women. The rates for women and girls who are Asian, American Indian/Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islanders and those reporting multiple races were also higher than the rate for white women.
Source: CDC. National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day 2013. Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; 2013. [cited 2013 March 5]. Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/Features/WomenGirlsHIVAIDS/
Take Action
- Plan or participate in an HIV awareness and testing event. Collective action by everyone affected or infected by HIV is one of our most powerful weapons against this epidemic.
- Spread the message.
- Join the National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day Twitter chat Thursday, March 7 from 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. Follow @womenshealth and use hashtag #NWGHAADchat.
- Participate in the monthly NPIN chat on Thursday, March 19 at 2:00 p.m. ET. The topic is Women and HIV and will feature Dázon Dixon Diallo of SisterLove. Use #NPINchat and follow @CDCNPIN.
- Promote the Let's Stop HIV Together
campaign, part of CDC's Act Against AIDS campaign to refocus national attention on the HIV/AIDS crisis in the United States. Share the campaign videos to help fight stigma.
- Share CDC's Take Charge. Take the Test. campaign, which encourages African-American women to be tested.
- Promote education and testing in your community.
NPIN RESOURCES
CDC RESOURCES
