Did you know that March 10th is Women’s HIV/AIDS Awareness Day? It’s an important day to recognize the impact HIV and AIDS have on women across the nation because nearly one in four people living with HIV in the U.S. are women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

This year, on the 11th observance of this awareness day, get the facts you need about HIV for women. First, women face unique risks. They are more likely to contract the disease during vaginal sex than men, because of an increased surface area for contact with the disease. Furthermore, women who are affected often face greater challenges finding proper care and dealing with social stigma. Lastly, women with HIV carry the risk of passing it to their child during childbirth and need to be extra vigilant about care and treatment.

The facts you need to know about HIV:

  • Human Immunodeficiency Virus, or HIV, is a sexually transmitted disease that attacks the immune system and lowers your body’s ability to fight off infections.
  • While there is no cure at the moment, treatments exist that can suppress the virus and give those who are living with the disease a long and healthy life.
  • The four most common ways HIV is transmitted are sexual contact, intravenous drug use, mother-to-child (perinatal) and blood transfusions.
  • Symptoms of HIV tend to mirror that of the flu. The possible symptoms of HIV are: fever, chills, rash, night sweats, muscle aches, sore throat and fatigue.

Finally, the most important fact that you need to know about HIV is that the only way to know for sure that you or a loved one is infected is to get tested. If you have had unprotected sex, have an existing sexually transmitted disease or share needles, you should be tested for HIV. At Any Lab Test Now, we can help you get the confidential testing you need to stay informed.

This March, encourage all the women in your life to get tested and help stop the spread of HIV/AIDS!