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CDC reported that the number of new
cases of HIV among black women declined 21 percent between 2008 and 2010, while
the incidence of HIV among young gay and bisexual men rose by 22 percent in the
same time frame. The rate of HIV infections among black women remains 20 times
higher than the number of new cases in white women, and HIV-infected black
women account for 70 percent of HIV incidence among all women. Men who have sex
with men comprised almost two-thirds of all new HIV infections in 2010.
Joseph Prejean, chief of the
Behavioral and Clinical Surveillance Branch in CDC’s Division of HIV/AIDS
Prevention, attributed the decline in new HIV cases among black women to HIV
testing and the success of HIV awareness campaigns. “Treatment advances” for
AIDS may have caused young men to underestimate their risk and the health
threat posed by HIV, said Prejean. Although anti-retroviral treatment prolongs
life, HIV-infected individuals can expect to take medicine for the rest of
their lives, at an estimated lifetime cost of $400,000.
Young black men who have sex with
men have the highest HIV incidence of any population group within the United
States. An earlier CDC report stated that 26 percent of new HIV cases occurred
among young people age 13 to 24. Half of HIV-infected young people do not know
their HIV status, reported CDC Director Thomas Frieden, MD.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
