Trends in human immunodeficiency virus among adolescents: implications for the clinician

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is currently a reportable infection in a growing number of states, which makes it possible to track patterns of spread according to demographic characteristics, risk behavior, and geographic region. Lee and Fleming analyzed HIV surveillance results from 1994 to 1998 among women age 15 to 44 from the first 25 states to initiate this program. They found that new diagnoses increased each year among women who were 15 to 19 in 1994, largely in association with heterosexual activity and, to a lesser but increasing extent, with injection drug use. HIV infections in older women declined. HIV increased during this period in the South, in contrast to the West, Central states, and Northeast. This paper suggests that now, even in areas not previously identified as HIV epicenters, discussions about HIV and methods to prevent transmission need to find their way into the routine care we provide.