AIDS Walk...coming to a city near you

Fall is always the time of year when many people get together and pound their feet on the pavement for a great cause. Although in some cities these walks began as early as May, AIDS WALKS are in full swing. Please, if you want to lend yourself to a great cause, this is one of those events. You can participate in numerous ways: donate money, volunteering or raising money and walking in this wonderful event. The AIDS Walk always helps to remind us that this disease is still a force to be reckoned with. We are far from winning this fight, but we can and will win the war. While there is still no cure, we can continue to fight together!

Upcoming walk dates cities in the top cities currently affected the most by HIV/AIDS:

Boston, MA: September 20th

Chicago, IL: September 20th

Baltimore MD: September 21st

Detroit, MI: September 21st

Washington, DC: October 4th

Atlanta, GA: October 19th

Los Angeles, CA: October 19th

Philadelphia, PA: October 19th

For AIDS walk cities participating and more info on each, check HERE. Below are HIV/AIDS statistics that are current as of March 2008.

• An estimated one million people are currently living with HIV in the United States, with approximately 40,000 new infections occurring each year.70 percent of these new infections occur in men and 30 percent occur in women.
• By race, 54 percent of the new infections in the United States occur among African Americans, and 64 percent of the new infections in women occur in African American women.
• 75 percent of the new infections in women are heterosexually transmitted.
• Half of all new infections in the United States occur in people 25 years of age or younger

 Top Ten Reported AIDS Cases (States / Territories)

**New cases: March 2007- March 2008**

1. New York: 172,377
2. California: 139,019
3. Florida: 100,809
4. Texas: 67,227
5. New Jersey: 48,431
6. Illinois: 32,595
7. Pennsylvania: 31,977
8. Georgia: 30,405
9. Maryland: 29,116
10. Puerto Rico: 29,092

Top Ten Reported AIDS Cases (Metropolitan Areas)

1. New York City: 126,237
2. Los Angeles: 43,448
3. San Francisco: 28,438
4. Miami: 25,357
5. Washington DC: 24,844
6. Chicago: 22,703
7. Philadelphia: 20,369
8. Houston: 19,898
9. Newark: 17,796
10. Atlanta: 17,157

**Reminder: December is HIV/AIDS awareness month**