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CDC
has released alarming numbers showing that a majority of Philadelphia’s new HIV
cases already have full-blown AIDS at the time of diagnosis. Numbers from CDC’s
HIV Surveillance Report—released every three years, with the most recent report
released in 2011— indicate that Philadelphia has 12,000 people living with AIDS
and is ranked 24th among metropolitan areas for new AIDS diagnoses.
Kevin Burns, executive director of ActionAIDS, declared that, “Just under a
thousand Philadelphians were newly diagnosed. Those numbers are unacceptably
high.” He noted that 75 percent of the new cases were diagnosed at Stage 3 AIDS
and stated, “It means they have full blown AIDS when they find out that they’re
sick, which is way too late in terms of the disease progression.”
Burns stated that a late diagnosis signifies that a patient’s immune system is
seriously compromised and asserted that early testing is key to maintaining a
patient’s health and limiting the disease’s spread. He noted the stigma
associated with testing, and recommended that routine HIV/AIDS testing for
everyone would de-stigmatize testing.
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!
