The human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV, was first discovered in 1983. Left untreated, HIV infection progresses to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, or AIDS, which is characterized by progressive weakening of the immune system and repeated infections. Since the discovery of HIV, much progress has been made in the understanding, prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS.
HIV/AIDS Around The World
UNAIDS reports in "AIDS Epidemic Update 2009" that an estimated 33.4 million people worldwide are living with HIV infection, including 2.1 million children younger than age 15. Sixty-seven percent of all people with HIV/AIDS live in Sub-Saharan Africa. UNAIDS estimates 1.4 million people in North America have HIV/AIDS, accounting for 4.2 percent of people worldwide with HIV infection.
Life Expectancy After HIV Diagnosis
In a 2010 research article published in the "Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes," Dr. Kathleen McDavid Harrison of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, reported the average life expectancy in the United States after a diagnosis of HIV infection rose from 10.5 years in 1996 to 22.5 years in 2005. Researchers attribute the more than doubling of life expectancy to the use of highly active antiretroviral therapy, abbreviated as HAART, which became the standard of care for people with HIV infection in the United States in 1996.
HIV Transmission Rate Decline
The CDC estimates that in 1980, the transmission rate of HIV in the United States was 92 percent. This means that for every 100 persons living with HIV that year, 92 new cases of HIV infection occurred. The HIV transmission rate in the United States as of 2006 is 5 percent, reports CDC. The CDC credits this dramatic decline to successful HIV prevention efforts.
How HIV Is and Is not Transmitted
Among people with HIV infection, the virus is found in high concentrations in several body fluids including blood, semen, vaginal fluids and breast milk, reports the CDC. In the United States, HIV is most commonly contracted via unprotected anal or vaginal sex with an infected partner, or sharing drug injection needles with someone who has HIV. Although HIV can be transmitted via oral sex, CDC notes this means of transmission is less common than anal or vaginal sexual transmission. HIV is not transmitted through casual social contact. Hugging, shaking hands and casual kissing do not transmit HIV. Similarly, HIV is not contracted from food, dishes, drinking glasses or toilet seats. The CDC clarifies that HIV infection due to contact with the virus on an environment surface has never occurred.
HIV Remains a Leading Cause of Death
Although great advances have occurred in HIV/AIDS treatment, HIV remains a significant cause of death in the United States. The CDC reports that in 2006, HIV was one of the top 10 causes of death for Americans ages 15 through 54. Among people ages 15 through 24, HIV was the eighth most common cause of death in 2006. HIV was the fifth most common cause of death for Americans ages 35 to 44 that same year.
References
- UNAIDS: AIDS Epidemic Update 2009, Global Facts & Figures
- "Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes"; Life Expectancy after HIV Diagnosis Based on National HIV Surveillance Data From 25 States, United States; Kathleen McDavid Harrison, Ph.D., M.P.H., et al; January 2010
- HIVandHepatitis.com: U.S. Women and Black and Hispanic Men Have Shorter Life Expectancy after HIV Diagnosis
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, MMWR: Epidemiology of HIV/AIDS--United States, 1981-2005
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: HIV Transmission Rates in the United States
