Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2008. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
The New York Times - September 3, 2008
A recent report from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that the number of people newly infected each year with H.I.V., the virus that causes AIDS, is 40 percent higher than previously estimated. The report, based on new technology that allows more precise estimates, found that 56,300 people around the country became newly infected in 2006, well above the 40,000 cited in recent years.
Using the new formula, the New York City health department estimated that the virus was spreading here at three times the national rate and had infected nearly 4,800 people in 2006.
Greater efforts to control the virus by all levels of government are obviously required. There is an urgent need to focus even more on black and Hispanic communities, which are disproportionately infected, and on gay and bisexual men, who are increasingly becoming less cautious.
While the Bush administration has shown leadership in the fight against global AIDS, committing billions of dollars, domestic spending has been essentially flat. The C.D.C. spends some $750 million a year to prevent new infections. That effort has helped hold the number of new H.I.V. infections stable since 2000 even as the number of people living with the AIDS virus has risen, providing more opportunities for transmission. Federal officials need to redouble their efforts to lower the rate of new infections.
The city's department of health distributes tens of millions of condoms annually, provides a needle-exchange program for intravenous drug users, tries hard to identify new cases and urges the sex partners of infected patients to get tested. But more is clearly needed.
The remedies should include a stronger education campaign in high-risk populations and free and easily accessible testing to find infected people. Roughly one-quarter of all infected people are unaware of their status.
It has been three decades since AIDS made its appearance. There was hope not long ago that the nation was bringing infections under control. The recent bad news means that the crisis is still with us.
080903
NYT080902
Copyright © 2008 - The New York Times Company. All Rights Reserved. All New York Times articles contained on the AEGiS web site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of The New York Times Company. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. However, you may download articles (one machine readable copy and one print copy per page) for your personal, noncommercial use only.
AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, Elton John AIDS Foundation, the National Library of Medicine, Pacific Life Foundation and donations from users like you.
Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2008. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.
AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Copyright ©1980, 2008. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .