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March 10 Is National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day! - During the early years of the epidemic, people often associated AIDS with gay white men, but times have changed. Since 1985, HIV rates among women have tripled with women of color making up the majority of those infections. Here’s some important information about HIV/AIDS and women. —Kellee Terrell(Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

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Black Women and HIV - African-American women account for 64 percent of all newly diagnosed HIV infections among women in the U.S. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 in 32 Black women will test HIV-positive in her life and African-American women are 15 times more likely than white women to test positive.  (Photo: Getty Images/STOCK)

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Younger People and HIV - Young people may feel invincible to a lot, but HIV shouldn’t be one of them. HIV rates among young people ages 13-24 is going up, accounting for 26 percent of all new HIV diagnoses in the U.S. Even worse, 70 percent of all new infections among 13-19 year olds in the U.S. are Black.  (Photo: Getty Images/STOCK)

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HIV Transmission Among Black Women Decreasing - Despite the depressing statistics, there’s some good news: Between 2008-2010, HIV transmission rates among Black women went down 21 percent (7,700-6,100). Black women still account for the majority of infections among women, but it’s believed that campaigns on HIV testing and safer sex have made a difference, according to a CDC report.  (Photo: Getty Images/STOCK)

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Heterosexual Sex Is a Main Driver for HIV - Yes, HIV numbers among gay and bisexual men — white, Black and Latino — are higher than Black women, but it’s important to keep in mind that heterosexual sex is a driver for HIV transmission. The CDC states that heterosexual sex accounts for 87 percent of all infections among Black women.  (Photo: Getty Images/STOCK)

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Women Are Biologically More Vulnerable to HIV Transmission - Past studies have shown that it’s more likely that HIV-positive men will pass HIV to women, than the other way around (although it’s not impossible). The vagina and the cervix have a lot of tissue that during intercourse can create microscopic rips that serve as entryways for HIV to enter the blood stream and replicate, says AIDSmeds.com. This is why it’s important to use lube with condoms during both vaginal and anal sex.  (Photo: Getty Images/STOCK)

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Untreated STDs Make Women Vulnerable to HIV Infection - HIV transmission is two to five times more likely if you have an undiagnosed and untreated STD. It lowers your immune system, making you more vulnerable to becoming HIV-positive if you come into contact with the virus. But some STDs have open sores that make it easier for HIV to enter your body.  (Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

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The Importance of Condom Negotiation  - Talking to your male partner(s) about condoms can be hard, especially if he isn’t keen on using them. But that doesn’t mean you have to sit back and be silent either. Remember open communication is key and it’s your body! Learn more about how to communicate why using condoms is important to you and him.  (Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images)

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Gender Violence and HIV - Not all women and girls can advocate for condom use because of the gender oppression and violence that they face. Black females experienced intimate partner violence at a rate 35 percent higher than that of white females, according to the American Bar Association's Committee on Domestic Violence, and about 22 times the rate of women of other races. (Photo: Getty Images/STOCK)

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Heterosexual Men Need to Join in Too - It’s important to engage heterosexual men in being part of the solution to ending AIDS among Black women. Straight Black men need to get tested for HIV/STDs regularly and use condoms consistently, even in monogamous long-term relationships.  (Photo: ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images)