This report reviews the course of the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) epidemic and its current status, examining changing patterns of sexual behavior and intravenous drug use, the distribution of cases of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, and the results of intervention efforts under way. It also discusses prevention activities designed to curb the future spread of HIV and offers recommendations regarding potential avenues for achieving this goal. This report contains a summary and six chapters. Chapters 1 and 2 describe the evolving nature of the epidemic and the range of prevention activities that are being implemented to retard the spread of HIV in the United States population. These sections focus on the increasing burden of HIV infection and AIDS among women. Chapters 3, 4, and 5, respectively, review three domains of particular interest: the ways in which HIV infection is affecting adolescents, how HIV infection is affecting female prostitutes, and the challenge of protecting the blood supply while simultaneously ensuring the adequacy of that supply. Chapter 6 reviews factors that affect the quality of data collected in surveys of AIDS-related behaviors. (NB)