An adult or adolescent with HIV is defined as having AIDS if he
or she has a CD4 count of less than 200 cells/uL or a CD4 percentage
of less than 14 or if he or she is diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis,
recurrent pneumonia, or invasive cervical cancer. Males comprised
about 57 percent of the 4,819 AIDS cases ever reported among adolescents
ages 13-19 years old, and represented 50 percent of the new AIDS
cases reported among adolescents in 2002. Of the 204 new cases reported
in 2002 among adolescent males, the largest exposure category (47
percent) was identified as men who have sex with men. In 38.7 percent
of new cases, a risk category was not reported or identified. Approximately
43 percent of adolescent AIDS cases ever reported were among females.
Females comprised of 50 percent of new AIDS cases reported in 2002
among adolescents, which is a 4 percent decrease from 54 percent
in 2000. Among adolescent females, there were 704 new AIDS cases.
In 34.8 percent of these new cases, heterosexual contact was reported
as the risk category, but in most cases (59.3 percent), a risk category
was not reported or identified.