This Month's HIV/AIDS Facts

These facts contain commonly accepted public health information about the prevention and transmission of HIV and AIDS. If this is not the information that you are seeking, please use the Back button on your browser to visit another section of our site. Thank you.

Question: What are the most common ways that teenagers get AIDS?

Basic Answer: AIDS (a result of HIV infection) is caused by a virus (HIV). Today, having sex with a person who has HIV is the most common way that teenagers become infected with the virus. Some teenagers become infected from sharing needles and syringes with someone who has HIV. In the past, some teenagers became infected through blood (used for transfusions) or blood products contaminated with HIV. Since 1985, all donated blood has been tested for signs of HIV. Now, people rarely get HIV from transfusions of blood or from blood components.

Detailed Answer: AIDS (a result of HIV infection) is caused by a virus (HIV). Having sex with a person who has HIV is the most common way that teenagers become infected. Data from the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey collected by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2001 show that 33.4 percent of students in the United States are currently sexually active.

HIV surveillance data collected by the CDC through June 2000 suggests that--

• Nearly half of all HIV-positive teenage males are infected through sex with men.
• Almost half of all HIV-positive teenage females are infected through sex with men.
• A small percentage of teenagers become infected through sharing needles and syringes with someone who has HIV or after sexual abuse by someone with HIV.

In the past, some teenagers became infected through blood (used for transfusions) or blood products contaminated with HIV. Since 1985, all donated blood has been tested for signs of HIV. Now, people rarely get HIV from transfusions of blood or from blood components.

New combination therapy, including protease inhibitors, has shown to slow the pace of infection in many people with HIV, including adolescents. These treatments extend and improve the quality of life for many people with HIV.

Current statistics show a relatively small number of teenagers with AIDS, compared with the total number of people with AIDS. Because of the long period between HIV infection and symptoms of AIDS, however, experts believe that many people in their twenties with AIDS (almost 20 percent of all AIDS cases) became infected when they were teenagers. Thus, current AIDS statistics do not give an accurate picture of HIV infection among teenagers.

The potential impact of HIV among teenagers is great. Some teens feel invulnerable because they may not see people their own age who have AIDS. Some teenagers experiment with drugs, alcohol and sex. Taking risks and testing limits are common ways in which teens assert their independence. They may use sexual behavior to meet needs for friendship, intimacy and peer approval. Also, teenage girls with HIV who become pregnant can spread the virus to their babies, as can women in the same situation.

SOURCES:

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. MMWR, 2002; vol. 51, no. SS04. "Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance--United States 2001."
• National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health. "Adolescents and HIV/AIDS." October 2001.
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. HIV/AIDS Surveillance Report, Midyear edition 2001; vol. 13, no. 1.
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. MMWR, 1998; vol. 47, no. RR-5. "Report of the NIH Panel to Define Principles of Therapy of HIV Infection."
• DeVita, V., Jr., et al., eds. AIDS: Etiology, Diagnosis, Treatment and Prevention, 4th ed. 1997.
• American Journal of Public Health, 1993; vol. 83, no. 4. "‘Getting Real’ About HIV in Adolescents." Hein, K.
• National Commission on AIDS. Preventing HIV/AIDS in Adolescents. June 1993.

For current statistics, contact the CDC National AIDS Hotline (800/342-AIDS), Spanish (800/344-7432), TTY/TDD (800/243-7889); the CDC Voice and Fax Information System (888/232-3228); the CDC National Prevention Information Network (800/458-5231) or its Web site at www.cdcnpin.org; or the CDC HIV/AIDS Web site at www.cdc.gov/hiv/dhap.htm.