National Statistics
From 1985 through 2008, 8,174 adolescents aged 13 to 19 years were diagnosed with AIDS in the United States and dependent areas. In earlier years, most AIDS diagnoses among adolescents were in males; over time, the male-to-female ratio has decreased. In 2008, 555 adolescents were diagnosed with AIDS; of these, 370 (67%) were male and 185 (33%) were female.
This slide compares the racial/ethnic distribution of AIDS diagnoses in 2008 among adolescents 13 to 19 years of age, young adults 20 to 24 years of age, and adults 25 and over in the United States and dependent areas. In all three age groups, blacks/African Americans had the largest percentage of AIDS diagnoses, although the percentage decreased as age group increased: 71% in persons aged 13 to 19, 61% in persons aged 20 to 24 years, and 47% in persons aged 25 and over. While Hispanics accounted for relatively similar percentages of AIDS diagnoses in all three age groups, they represented the second largest percentage of persons in adolescents (17%) and young adults (22%) and the third largest percentage of persons in adults over 25 years of age (21%). The percentage of AIDS diagnoses among whites in 2008 increased as age group increased: 10% in persons aged 13 to 19 years, 15% in persons aged 20 to 24 years, and 29% in persons aged 25 years and over.
On the national level, the overall pattern of the distribution of risk factors does not differ by the population of the area of residence at the time of diagnosis.
In each of the population categories in the 37 states with confidential name-based HIV infection reporting since at least January 2005, more than 80% of diagnoses of HIV infection in 2008 in females were in those with infections attributed to heterosexual contact. Approximately 15% of females in each population category had diagnosed HIV infections attributed to injection drug use. On the national level, the overall pattern of the distribution of risk factors does not differ by the population of the area of residence at the time of diagnosis.