IMPORTANT HIV/AIDS FACTS
AIDS is a devastating disease that continues to affect the lives of men, women and children throughout the Central Ohio community. AIDS is now the leading cause of death for men ages 24 - 44 in Columbus and is fast becoming one of the leading causes of death for women in the same age group. The growth of AIDS cases still disproportionately affects the African-American community, and while the numbers of pediatric AIDS cases is fairly stable, there is disturbing growth in the number of teenagers being diagnosed as HIV+. The number of new AIDS cases continues to grow locally, and there is still NO CURE.
More than half of the new HIV infections in the U.S. occur among African-Americans, though they only represent 13% of the population. In Ohio, HIV is increasing among women. Females represent 23% of reported persons living with HIV, compared to 16% of reported persons living with AIDS as of March 2002. 51% of all new HIV infections occur in young people under the age of 25. Teenagers contract more than 25% of new HIV infections in the U.S. Every year 44,000 more Americans are infected with HIV. Heterosexual intercourse if the fastest growing mode of HIV transmission in the U.S. and the dominate mode of HIV transmission worldwide. Women are 8 times more likely than men to contract HIV from one act of intercourse. More than 75% of high school students have had sexual intercourse by grade 12. There is no way to know whether an individual is HIV-positive by looking at him or her. Disease symptoms may not occur for up to 10 years after infection.
In a statewide needs assessment of HIV+ clients in central Ohio we learned that:
59% of people living with HIV have run out of money for food. 23% are unable to pay for transportation. 17% have been homeless in the past 12 months. 18% could not afford medical care in the last 12 months. 18% skip taking medicine to stretch it out.
*Source: 1999 Statewide Needs Assessment, AIDS Client Resource Section, Ohio Dept. of Health
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