 
| As of December 2001, 44% of US men with AIDS contracted the virus by having sex with
men, while the majority of US women (41%) contracted HIV through heterosexual contact. Thirty-nine percent of
women contracted HIV via injecting drug use. The impact of AIDS on minorities has been felt. Blacks represent the
majority of cases as of 2001. 1 |
| AIDS in Blacks and Hispanics
Of the 816,149 AIDS cases in US residents reported
to CDC through 2001, Blacks and Hispanics accounted for:
- 80% of total
- 61% of women
- 83% of heterosexuals*
- 82% of children
In one year (1996) Blacks and Hispanics accounted for
61% of AIDS cases reported.
*Heterosexual injecting drug users and persons with
heterosexually acquired HIV
Source: CDC |
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Persons at High
Risk of Contracting HIV Infection
- Injection drug user (IDUs)
- Gay and bisexual men
- Recipients (including hemophiliacs) of blood products
who received product between 1978 and 1985 (before screening)
- Heterosexual contacts of any of the above
- Newborns of HIV-seropositive mothers
- Persons who have contracted other sexually transmitted
diseases
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In view of these statistics, it is clear of whom is at high risk for contracting HIV, and efforts
toward screening and prevention education can be targeted accordingly. These risk groups have not changed
since the advent of the epidemic and include injecting drug users, gay and bisexual men, blood product
recipients (especially between 1978 and 1985), hemophiliacs, sexual contacts of these groups, and newborns
of HIV-seropositive mothers. |
| As the years progress, the number of cases involving receipt of blood products should
continue to shrink. Blood has been screened for HIV since 1985, and it can therefore be
assumed that virtually all cases of AIDS obtained in this manner likely would have been
detected by now, especially since virus exposure in this form is much greater than via
percutaneous spread or sex.9 It is still possible
to contract HIV via blood, particularly in other countries where screening processes are
under significantly less scrutiny. In this country, between careful history-taking and
serological screening for other sexually transmitted diseases, as well as p24 antigen, the
risk is down to approximately one in 500,000 units.10
Risk remains because of the conversion window period and the fact that, with the exception
of p24, HIV antigens are not screened. To do so would be cost intensive and at this time
would raise the price of a unit of blood to prohibitive levels. |
| Persons at little or no risk for HIV infection include
household contacts, casual contacts and health care workers. While HIV transmission to
hemophiliac siblings has been reported, these cases represent unusual or atypical
circumstances. |
Persons at
Little or No Risk
of Contracting HIV Infection
- Household contact
- Casual contacts
- Health care workers
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Risk of HIV
Transmission
Among Health Care Workers
Risk of HIV infection from
needle-stick =0.36% or 1 in 250 exposures
- >57 occupationally derived
seroconversions documented;
HOWEVER,
- >33% might have been prevented with consistent use
of Standard Precautions
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The occupational risk among health care workers does not
exceed that of the general population. The risk of infection following a needlestick from
a documented HIV infected source is 0.36%, or one in 250 exposures. This has remained
consistent over the years through ongoing studies conducted by the CDC.11 Of course, the risk is much less when
serological status of the source is not known. To date, there have been 57 documented
seroconversions acquired occupationally, and 137 possible occupational seroconversions1 More than a third of these seroconversions could
have been prevented through proper observation of universal precautions/body substance
isolation. |
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