HIV prevalence among U.S. women increasing fastest in the world

The number of new HIV infections among women is increasing dramatically in the United States, with the proportion of HIV cases among U.S. women increasing at the fastest rate among the world's women, according to a report released Friday by the United Nations Development Fund for Women, Agence France-Presse reports. Women make up about 48% of the total number of the estimated 38 million HIV-positive people worldwide, but in some developing countries that percentage is as high as 60%. Women accounted for about 20% of the U.S. HIV cases in 2001, but that percentage rose to 25% in 2003, meaning the HIV prevalence increased faster among U.S. women than anywhere else in the world. The total number of HIV cases among U.S. women rose from 180,000 in 2001 to 240,000 in 2003. The most dramatic increases in U.S. infections are among women of color. African-American and Latina women account for just 25% of the nation's female population, but represent 80% of the HIV cases in U.S. women, according to the report.