One in four new HIV infections in the U.S. are estimated to occur among people under the age of 20. An estimated 40,000 to 80,000 Americans become infected with HIV each year, or an average of 110 to 220 a day. Under current trends, that means that between 27 and 54 young people in the United States under the age of 20 are infected by HIV each day, or more than two young people every hour. A significant number of young people are engaging in sexual intercourse as well as drug and alcohol use at earlier stages in their lives. This fact, coupled with the disturbing number of adolescents who are prone to high risk behavior due to homelessness, sexual abuse, and other circumstances, places young Americans in a situation that leaves them extremely vulnerable to HIV infection. Experts expect this high rate of infection to continue unless a greater commitment to HIV prevention is made by young people themselves, their families, their educational and cultural institutions, their religious institutions, and their peers.