Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2007. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
United Press International - December 1, 2007
The new methods show the number of people in the United States infected with the AIDS virus is 50 percent higher than previously known, The Washington Post reported Saturday.
Scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now believe there are between 55,000 and 60,000 new infections each year -- up from previous estimates of 40,000 a year, the Post reported.
The higher numbers are the result of a new method of testing blood samples that can identify those who were infected within the previous five months, the Post reported Saturday. Distinguishing recent infections from long-standing infections can estimate how many new infections appear each year, the scientists said.
"The likelihood is that this bigger number represents a clearer picture of what has been there for the past few years. But we won't know for sure for a while," Walt Senterfitt, an epidemiologist, told the Post.
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