HIV Rate Highest for Young, Poor Women

Young, poor women are being infected with the AIDS virus at a higher rate than their male counterparts, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta reported. The finding arises from a seven-year study that looked at HIV tests for 350,000 youths in the federal Job Corps program. Researchers found that the rate of infection among women ages 16 to 21 was 50% higher than that of men in the same group. The highest rates of infection were among black women, with five out of every 1,000 infected with HIV. Researchers suggested the difference between the sexes is because young women are more likely to have sex with older partners, who are more likely to have HIV.