Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1997. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Chicago Tribune (CT) - FRIDAY, February 7, 1997
Rick Pearson, Tribune Staff Writer.
Federally mandated statistics compiled by the Illinois Department of Public Health also showed Thursday that a trend of racial disparity in AIDS cases continued.
The number of newly reported cases among African-Americans totaled 1,240, an increase of 97 cases from the year before. But the number of new AIDS cases among Hispanics showed a slight decline of 15 cases last year.
Nevertheless, African-Americans and Hispanics, who represent about a quarter of the state's population, still accounted for 68 percent or 1,497 of the 2,212 new AIDS cases reported last year, the department said.
"There must be a renewed commitment to providing AIDS prevention programs for at-risk minority individuals," said Dr. John Lumpkin, the state's public health director.
The slight increase in newly reported AIDS cases last year follows statistics in 1995 that showed a sharp downturn, potentially indicating a leveling off of new cases and reflecting progress in new drug treatment.
Still, Lumpkin warned, the disease continues to claim thousands of lives, and for the 25-to-44 age group, AIDS was the second leading cause of death in 1995, trailing unintentional injuries.
"Unfortunately, some persons at risk of HIV infection view the new combination drug therapies, which have been shown to prolong and improve the quality of life for persons living with HIV, as a cure. The new drugs . . . do represent a significant advance in treatment, but they do not represent a cure," he said.
Geographically, the number of new AIDS cases in Chicago increased 4 percent last year to total 1,567, representing 71 percent of all new cases of the disease reported in the state last year.
But the number of new reported cases in the six-county metropolitan area, including Chicago, showed an overall decrease of 2 percent or 39 cases, the department said.
Officials from the Chicago/Cook County HIV Services Planning Council complained last year the state statistics were misleading and that the number of new AIDS cases diagnosed in a year would give a better picture.
But state public health officials said the number of diagnosed AIDS cases has generally followed the trend in reported cases in the state. A total of diagnosed AIDS cases in Illinois for 1996 will not be available until later this year, public health officials said.
Copyright 1997/The Chicago Tribune. Reproduced with permission. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the Permissions Desk, The Chicago Tribune, 435 North Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611.
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