HIV rates climb among Boston women

Health officials in Boston are alarmed by a near doubling of HIV infections among the city’s women during the past 10 years, according to United Press International. Women made up about 17% of HIV cases in the Boston area a decade ago, but that figure has grown to 31% in 2000. Jean Maguire, MD, of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s AIDS unit, said, “The shift in gender is a real concern.” Massachusetts reported 840 new HIV infections in 2000, with more than 260 of them occurring among women.