Statistics
US HIV Rate 40% Higher Than Originally Believed
By George Curry
Presidential Candidates Respond Visit Black AIDS Institute´s Youtube page. The number of people infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, is 40 percent higher than the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been reporting each year, new figures released Saturday show. According to the CDC, approximately 56,300 new HIV infections occurred in the United States in 2006. The previous estimate had been 40,000 new infections per year. “It’s important to note that the new estimate does not represent an actual increase in the number of new infections, but reflects our ability to more precisely measure HIV incidence and secure a better understanding of the epidemic,” said Dr. Kevin Fenton, director of CDC's National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention. “This new picture reveals that the HIV epidemic is – and has been – worse than previously known and underscores the challenges in confronting this disease.” The study shows that HIV has the greatest impact among African-Americans and gay and bisexual men of all races. “The rate of new infections among non-Hispanic Blacks was seven times as high as that among whites in 2006 (83.7 versus 11.5 new infections per 100,000 population),” the CDC said. “Blacks also accounted for the largest share of new infections (45 percent, or 24,900). Historical trend data show that the number of new infections among Blacks peaked in the late 1980s and has exceeded the number of infections in whites since that time.” The CDC acknowledged what activists have being saying all along: More concentrated prevention efforts are needed if the virus is ever going to be contained among African-Americans. “The continued severity of the epidemic among Blacks underscores the need to sustain and accelerate prevention efforts in this population,” the CDC said. “While race itself is not a risk factor for HIV infection, a range of issues contribute to the disproportionate HIV risk for African Americans in the U.S., including poverty, stigma, higher rates of other STDs, and drug use.” Gays and bisexual men -- referred to as men who have sex with men (MSM) – represented a significantly greater proportion of new infections in 2006 than any other group. “MSM accounted for 53 percent (28,700) of estimated new HIV infections in 2006,” CDC reported. “CDC’s historical trend analysis indicates that HIV incidence has been increasing steadily among gay and bisexual men since the early 1900s, confirming a trend suggested by other data showing increases in risk behavior, sexually transmitted diseases, and HIV diagnosis in this population.” Heterosexuals accounted for 31 percent of new HIV infections in 2006. The new CDC figures were expected to be announced at a news conference Sunday at the international conference on AIDS in Mexico City. However, after several news outlets reported the findings on Saturday, the embargo was lifted. CDC said it was able to come up with the new figures showing greater incidences of HIV by using new technology that allowed them to pinpoint when a person was actually infected with HIV. In the past, the agency could only determine when a person was diagnosed, which could have been years after the infection. [Email This Article To a Friend] Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona): "The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) yesterday announced that in 2006 there were 56,300 new HIV infections in United States, significantly higher than the previous estimate of 40,000 cases. More than a million Americans live with this devastating disease. As President, I will work closely with non-profit, government, and private sector stakeholders to continue the fight against HIV/AIDS. By focusing efforts on reducing drug costs through greater market competition, promoting prevention efforts, encouraging testing, targeting communities with high infection rates, strengthening research and reducing disparities through effective public outreach, we as a nation can make great progress in fighting HIV/AIDS." Sen. Barack Obama (D-Illinois) "We have now learned that 56,300 new HIV infections occurred in the United States in 2006, not 40,000 that had been previously cited. These new figures should bring new focus to our efforts to address AIDS and HIV here at home. "As president, I am committed to developing a National AIDS Strategy to decrease new HIV infections and improve health outcomes for Americans living with HIV/AIDS. Across the nation, we also need to prevent the spread of HIV and get people into treatment by expanding access to testing and comprehensive education programs. This report also demonstrates the need for more timely data about HIV transmission so that we can effectively evaluate prevention efforts. "Combating HIV/AIDS also demands closing the gaps in opportunity that exist in our society so that we can strengthen our public health. We must also overcome the stigma that surrounds HIV/AIDS -– a stigma that is too often tied to homophobia. We need to encourage folks to get tested and accelerate HIV/AIDS research toward an effective cure because we have a moral obligation to join together to meet this challenge, and to do so with the urgency this epidemic demands."