HIV/AIDS

HIV is an infectious disease that gradually destroys the immune system, rendering it defenseless against infections. HIV can be transmitted sexually, by contact with infected blood, or from mother to child during childbirth or breastfeeding.1 Rarely, HIV can be transmitted via accidental needle injury, artificial insemination with infected semen, or an infected organ transplant.2 HIV may eventually progress to AIDS.1

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports an estimated 1.1 million people (aged 13 years or older) in the United States are living with HIV infection and that 18.1% of those individuals are unaware of their HIV status.3 About 50,000 people are newly infected with HIV in the United States annually. In 2010, men who have sex with men accounted for 78% of new HIV infections among males and 63% of all new infections. About 44% of new HIV infections occur in African-American...