In 1981, a new infectious disease, AIDS, or acquired immunodeficiency syn-drome, was identified in the United States. 1 Several years later, the causative agent of AIDS—human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)—was discovered. This discovery coincided with the growing recognition of AIDS in the United States as part of a global infectious disease pandemic. Currently, HIV/AIDS has been reported in virtually every racial and ethnic popu-lation, every age group, and every socioeconomic group in every State and most large cities in the United States. 2 Initially identified among men who have sex with men on the East and West Coasts, 3 the AIDS epidemic is composed of di- verse multiple subepidemics that vary by region and community. By the end of 1998, more than 680,000 cases of AIDS had been reported, and nearly 410,800 people had died from HIV disease or AIDS.