Women are increasingly being affected by the HIV/AIDS
epidemic. In the United States, HIV/AIDS is the sixth
leading cause of death among all women ages 25 to 34 and the fourth leading cause of death among all women ages 35 to 44. More than 81,000 women have already died of AIDS in the United States. Women now account for an estimated 27% of the estimated 40,000 new HIV/AIDS diagnoses in the United States each year. African-American women comprise 67% of new AIDS diagnoses among women, while Hispanic women account for 16%. The majority of women acquire HIV through unprotected sex with HIV-infected men. Approximately 71% of women who acquired HIV in 2003 were infected by their male sexual partners, while approximately 27% acquired the virus through injection drug use. Women are vulnerable to heterosexual transmission of HIV due to sex without the use of condoms and the high-risk behaviors of their partners.