Microbicides and you...

So, the condom may soon be a thing of the past?

AIDS is the leading killer of African-American women ages 25 to 34, and the sixth-leading cause of death among all U.S. women in that age group.

HIV is spreading fastest among Americans who are 25 and younger, with unprotected sex with men accounting for 79% of new female infections. Between 1999 and 2003, AIDS cases leapt by 15% among American women, compared to 1% for men, according to the June issue of Science.

At the same time, one in four American women has genital herpes; by age 30, half of all U.S. women will have had chlamydia; gonorrhea is also on the rise.