On Saturday, the Centers for Disease Control released frightening new findings
about the H.I.V./AIDS epidemic in America: about 56,300 people are now
thought to be infected with HIV annually -- a startling 40 percent jump
from the government's previous estimate of 40,000. These figures are not necessarily evidence that infection rates are climbing. Instead, they
represent improved assessments derived from a sophisticated blood test. On her Triage blog, the Tribune's Judith Graham writes that it
demonstrates that "our prevention efforts haven’t reduced the number of
HIV infections or reached the most vulnerable segments of our
population." More from Graham:
New cases are rising fastest among gay and bisexual men, according to the report, representing about 53 percent of the infections. African-Americans represent about 45 percent of the cases. About 60 percent of the victims are younger than 40, and 73 percent are men.
"What the numbers tell us is not new to us," said Chris Brown, assistant commissioner at the Chicago Department of Public Health in charge of AIDS/HIV programs. "It tells us, however, where we need to continue to focus our priorities.
Kai Wright's recent piece in The American Prospect adds more context to what he calls "America's AIDS Apartheid":
Meanwhile, an AIDS apartheid has hardened here. John Edwards' two Americas are perhaps most clearly witnessed in the waiting rooms of AIDS clinics around the country. African Americans, who are 13 percent of the U.S. population, now account for a stunning half of all people living with HIV/AIDS and half of all those newly infected every year. The numbers are even more shocking when you look at the people among whom the virus is spreading most quickly. One depressing study of gay and bisexual men in five large U.S. cities found 46 percent of black men to already be positive. Nearly half. No population on Earth has registered infection rates that high.
After reading the report, Illinois AIDS advocates called for increased federal funding, which has stagnated since 2002. "Experts suggest $1 billion to $1.3 billion is needed for HIV/AIDS prevention nationally," Graham writes. "Current funding is about $600 million, they said." Of course, at the state level, because of the budget standoff between Governor Rod Blagojevich and Speaker Michael Madigan, drug-treatment centers around Illinois are slated to lose $55 million in state funds, some of which would undoubtedly be used to treat potential HIV patients.
Infection statistics for Chicago and Illinois will be released at the end of the month.
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