Estimated worldwide HIV infections: 64 524 305 at noon on Wednesday September 28 2005
Women aged 15 to 24 in South Africa are substantially more likely to be HIV-positive than their male counterparts, according to a study published in the September 23 issue of the journal AIDS.
Audrey Pettifor and colleagues from the University of North Carolina, the University of California and the University of the Witwatersrand from March to August 2003 conducted household surveys and HIV tests among 11 904 15- to 24-year-olds in South Africa, finding that 15,5% of the women and 4,8% of the men tested HIV-positive.
The study also examined the extent to which men and women engaged in risky behaviours, including having a larger number of sexual partners and using condoms inconsistently.
Source: Kaisernetwork.com