Rate of Illinois Women Diagnosed with HIV/AIDS Increasing.

In recognition of National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) is encouraging women to become educated about HIV/AIDS. The department urges women to find out how HIV/AIDS is affecting their communities, ways to prevent getting the disease, and where to get tested. IDPH is today participating in events around the state to raise awareness about the impacts of HIV/AIDS on women and girls.


“National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day is a great opportunity to get the discussion going about HIV/AIDS,” said Dr. Arnold. “We all need to know what is going on with HIV/AIDS in our communities, the stigmas associated with the disease, ways to prevent getting it, and where to go to get tested. The only way to know if you have HIV/AIDS is to get tested.”

Although the majority of people diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in Illinois are men, the proportion of women diagnosed with the disease is increasing. In the 1980s, 7 percent of all new infections were among women. In the 1990s, women accounted for 18 percent of new infections. Since 2000, women have accounted for 24 percent of new infections, on average. These figures are also similar for the nation as a whole. Illinois youth between the ages of 13 and 19 are among those experiencing the fastest rising rate of infection.

As of Dec. 31, 2009, nearly 60,000 people were diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in Illinois, of which 80 percent were male and 20 percent were female. Of the adult and adolescent women living with HIV/AIDS in Illinois in 2009, 67 percent were African American, 16 percent were White, and 12 percent were Hispanic. African Americans account for a significantly larger proportion of cases among women compared to men. In the U.S., HIV/AIDS is the third leading cause of death in African American women.

IDPH, along with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Women’s Health, worked with three public high schools in Springfield to create a lunchtime buddy program “Respect Your Mind - Protect Your Body”. The program is specifically tailored for girls and utilizes peer educators, female student ambassadors who currently attend these schools, to facilitate lunchtime discussions with their peers. Student ambassadors are local students age 13 and older who have participated in the IDPH’s Center for Minority Health Services HIV awareness program Brothers And Sisters United Against HIV/AIDS (BASUAH) and are certified BASUAH ambassadors. The lunchtime discussions were held at Lanphier, Southeast, Springfield high schools beginning on Mar. 1 through Mar. 10. Topics included gender pride, HIV/AIDS, assertiveness skills and decision making skills.

Visit www.basuah.org/calendar for a complete listing of events, or use our Text2Survive mobile calendar by texting “event” to 36363 for listings of free statewide events. You can also locate an HIV testing center by texting IL and your zip Code to 36363 for English, or text “centro” plus the zip code to 36363 for Spanish. A confidential text message will be sent to the phone identifying the nearest HIV/AIDS testing center contact information. You can also test your knowledge on HIV and AIDS by texting the word “game” to 36363.