AIDS . . . AN UNEQUAL OPPORTUNITY KILLER

Black women are 15 times as likely as white women to have AIDS, according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control. The disparity was far less stark among men: black men are five times as likely as white men to have AIDS. Preliminary data indicates that AIDS has become the second leading cause of death among black women ages 25 to 44, the CDC says; it is already the leading cause of death among black and Hispanic men of that age group. The CDC study also shows that 55 percent of all AIDS cases are occurring among racial and ethnic minorities.