is Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. The human immunodeficiency virus (人类免疫缺损病毒)called HIV is believed to cause . There is no cure. People who get the disease will die. itself does not kill. However, it attacks and destroys the body’’s defense system that fights against infection. When this happens, a person has little ability to fight off many other diseases including pneumonia(肺炎), cancer and tuberculosis (结核病). A new study says the number of women in the United States with has increased sharply. The study says is increasing faster among women than among men. Eigh percent of patients are women. This is almost 3 times the rate 10 years ago. Most women get the virus from having ual relations with men. Pregnant women with the disease can pass it to their babies. The effect of in America is greatest in large cities. is the leading cause of death among all people in 79 cities. It is the leading cause of death among women in 15 cities. These include New York City and Miami, Florida. Doctors in the United States first noted 14 years ago in homoual (的)men in New York and California. In the United States spread first among homoual men. Then it appeared in people who shared needles to put illegal drugs into their blood. It also appeared in people who had received infected blood products at hospitals. The virus is spread through the exchange of infected blood or body fluids released during ual activity. It is also spread by having ual relations with someone who has the virus. And it is spread by sharing drug needles that have infected blood on them. has affected several famous American athletes. Two years ago, former tennis player Arthur Ashe died of the disease. At about the same time, former basketball player Magic Johnson announced that he has the virus. The most recent athlete to be affected is Gregory Louganis. Louganis won a number of gold medals in Olympic diving competition. He announced on television that he has . President Clinton met with Louganis and praised him for discussing his sickness. Mr. Clinton said it is important to educate the public. Activists have succeeded in educating Americans about and the people who have it. They also have been urging the federal government to increase efforts to find a cure for . Scientists first identified the virus that is believed to cause in 1983. Many of them then thought they could produce an anti- vaccine(痘苗). Such a medicine could be given to people to protect against the disease. However, scientists at American government agencies, universities and drug companies have failed to produce an anti- vaccine. But they are continuing effort to find better treatments for a cure. Have scientists produced an ant- vaccine