Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2005. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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Washington Blade - November 17, 2005
Dyana Bagby
The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention released new information in a conference call with reporters Nov. 17 that showed 157,252 people were diagnosed with HIV between 2001-2004 in the 33 states that conduct name-based reporting. The report was also published in the CDC's Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report.
For the first time, New York is included in the data, making for a clearer picture of the epidemic in the U.S., according to the CDC.
HIV cases in New York state account for more than 20 percent of all new diagnoses reported during 2001-2004. The addition of New York provides a more representative sample of U.S. diagnoses, but means it is not possible to directly compare the data and trends in this report to earlier reports, said Dr. Ronald Valdiserri, acting director of the CDC's National Center for HIV, STD & TB Prevention.
And while new infection rates remained relatively stable among men who have sex with men between 2001-2003, data shows an eight percent increase between 2003 and 2004 among this population across all races, Valdiserri said.
The recent increase in HIV diagnoses among men who have sex with men may reflect reports of increased risky sexual behaviors - such as the use of crystal meth leading to multiple partners - and syphilis, but it may also reflect an increase in HIV testing among gay and bisexual men, Valdiserri explained.
But exactly why a jump occurred between 2003 and 2004 remains unclear, he added. This trend was consistent among all racial categories.
More than half - or 51 percent - of the new HIV diagnoses between 2001-2004 are among African Americans, said Dr. Lisa Lee, a senior epidemiologist in the CDC's Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention.
A CDC study released earlier this year noted 46 percent of black men who have sex with men in five cities were HIV positive. The survey included data from Baltimore, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City and San Francisco.
"HIV continues to exact a tremendous toll of men who have sex with men of all races, especially men who have sex with men of color," Valdiserri said.
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