With new buzz in Hollywood suggesting an A-list actor has contracted HIV, it's now more important than ever to know the latest stats and signs of the deadly disease.

Twitter Has Some Thoughts On The Identity Of The Alleged HIV-Positive A-List Actor

The Hollywood HIV rumor states that an A-list male actor is currently living with the virus and has not yet come clean about it.

"It has now become common knowledge that this star is HIV positive, something he has known for a number of years," a source reportedly told The Sun. "His lawyers are bracing for the threat of potential action. The reality is that if he's knowingly put women at risk then that's disgusting and it's only a matter of time before that becomes public."

Should The Rumored HIV Positive Big-Name Actor Reveal Himself To The Public?

While the disease has commonly been associated with homosexual men (and other men who have sexual relations with men) in the past, women who are newly diagnosed with HIV get the disease through heterosexual sex.

The easiest way to determine if you have HIV and/or AIDS is by getting tested. Those who are contracted with the disease have said to develop flu-like symptoms or swollen glands, though this is not the case for everyone.

If you are unsure if you might have contracted HIV, common causes include sharing needles, having unprotected sex (either vaginal, anal or oral) with multiple partners and/or previously contracted syphilis or other STDs (sexually transmitted diseases).

The CDC (Center for Disease Control) suggests all pregnant women be tested for HIV. Preventing transfer from mother to child is high in the U.S. as long as the mother "begins her treatment before or during childbirth."

The latest study on HIV/AIDS in California by the CDPH (California Department of Public Heath) from 2013 cites 169,734 cases of the disease, while HIV Non-AIDS is at 49,369. The most prevalent areas for cases include Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego Orange, Riverside and Alameda.

amFAR, the Foundation for AIDS Research, says there are 1.1 million people in the United States living with AIDS. They also reveal that 50,000 new HIV infections are diagnosed every year.

In 2010, it was discovered that 44 percent of all new HIV infections were African American. 31 percent were White while 21 percent were Hispanic/Latino. Asians made up 2 percent while other races or those of multiple races made up 1 percent or lower.

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