Rock the Red Pump HIV Awareness Day

Here is one pair of red shoes i'm going to rock at the Rock the Red Pump event in Chi-Town!!

There are many myths about how HIV is spread. You can’t acquire HIV by drinking from a water fountain, sitting on a toilet seat, hugging or touching an HIV-infected person, or by eating off plates and utensils. However, here are some ways HIV can be transmitted:

• By way of bodily fluids (blood, semen, and vaginal secretions) during sexual contact. Saliva is not considered a transmission route for HIV.
• By sharing needles to inject drugs. Infected blood can be exchanged between the parties who are using the same needle and syringe.
• Through the transfusion of infected blood or blood products
• HIV-infected woman can pass HIV to their babies during pregnancy, during delivery, or while breast-feeding

Below are some key statistics about how HIV/AIDS affects us and those around us.

HIV/AIDS in the United States:

• Every 9.5 minutes, someone in the US will be infected with HIV.
• There are more than 1 million adults and adolescents in the United States living with HIV. Approximately one-fifth of them (21%) do not know that they have been infected.

Women and HIV/AIDS

• In 2006, women made up 25% of the persons living with HIV in the United States. Women also represented 27% of new HIV infections in 2006.
• High-risk heterosexual contact is the source of 80% of these newly diagnosed infections in women in the US.
• From the beginning of the epidemic through 2005, almost 86,000 women have died of AIDS and AIDS-related complications.
• The largest number of HIV/AIDS diagnoses during recent years was for women aged 15–39.
• Seven of the 10 states with the highest case rates among women are in the South.

Minority Women and HIV/AIDS

• HIV/AIDS disproportionately affects minority women in the United States. According to the 2005 census, Black and Latina women represent 24% of all US women combined, but accounted for 82% of the estimated total of AIDS diagnoses for women in 2005.
• HIV is the leading cause of death for Black women (including Black women) aged 25–34 years. The only diseases causing more deaths of women are cancer and heart disease.
• The rate of AIDS diagnosis for Black women was approximately 23 times the rate for white women and 4 times the rate for Latina women.
• In 2006, teen girls represented 39% of AIDS cases reported among 13–19 year-olds. Black teens represented 69% of cases reported among 13–19 year-olds; Latino teens represented 19%.

Youth and HIV/AIDS

• In 2006, the CDC estimates that almost 46,000 young people, ages 13-24, were living with HIV in the US. Women comprised 28% of these HIV/AIDS cases among 13-24 year-olds.
• African-American young adults are disproportionately affected by HIV, accounting for 60% of HIV/AIDS diagnoses in 13-24 year olds in 2006.