PIP: Biologic, cultural, economic, and political factors render women more vulnerable than men to HIV infection and AIDS, and a recent report prepared for the XIV Congress of the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics notes that trends indicate that HIV prevalence may soon be found in equal numbers of women and men. HIV infection has followed different epidemiological routes in different parts of the world, and women's vulnerability depends largely upon their culturally conscribed ability to control their sexuality and to request condom use. The ability to use condoms is also tied to the ability to read promotional literature, to access them, and to pay for them. A lack of autonomy also forces many women into prostitution and, therefore, greater risk. Because women are the primary care-givers in most situations, the burden of HIV care falls on them. HIV-infected women bear additional concerns about their children's health. In the US, data on women of all ages indicate that about 50% acquired HIV through intravenous drug use, and a third became infected through heterosexual contact. Among US females aged 13-24, about half of infections were due to heterosexual transmission versus only 2-3% of young men. Worldwide patterns of spread vary, and the US was 21st in the rate of new AIDS cases in 1992. Some countries (such as South Africa) are experiencing rapid growth in new cases, while others are showing a decline due to improved screening of blood products. Intense spread is expected in Asia, Eastern Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. Experts warn that HIV presents an epidemic situation not seen since the emergence of syphilis in Europe. Rather than subsiding when the population at risk has been killed by the disease, HIV will continue to resist being confined to specific risk groups and will require effective intervention to be controlled.