
A striking leap in the number of HIV infections and cases of AIDS among girls and women prompted observance of March 10, 2006, as the first National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. Anthony S. Fauci, MD, director of Health and Human Services's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the NIH, declared that the day, which will be observed annually, served to raise awareness of the increasing impact of HIV infection and AIDS on women and girls?in the US and worldwide.