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Facts About HIV/AIDS
- AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) is the end result of
infection with a virus called HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus).
- AIDS affects men, women, and children of every race and social
class.
- Through December 2001, 816,149 persons with AIDS (including 9,074 cases in children under age 13) have been reported to the
Center for Disease Control. *
- Today, 42 million people worldwide are estimated to be living with HIV/AIDS. **
- Each day 8,493 children (under the age of 15) are infected with
the AIDS virus.**
- The disease is transmitted through bodily fluids (i.e., blood,
genital fluids). AIDS is not contracted through households, casual
contact, or saliva.
- The disease is fatal. 467,910 people have died in the United
States, including 5,257 children under age 15. *
* statistics from the Center for Disease Control, as of December 31, 2001
** statistics from the Joint United Nations Program on AIDS UNAID, 2000
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