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In spite of increased knowledge
about prevention and improvements in treatment, too many Delaware
residents—especially young black men who have sex with men (MSM)—have become
infected with HIV that has progressed to AIDS. CDC’s National HIV/AIDS
Surveillance Report revealed that Delaware ranked eighth in new HIV cases and
seventh in AIDS cases in the United States. The 2012 Delaware HIV/AIDS
Surveillance Report stated that HIV incidence among MSM began to increase in
1999; MSM now is the most important risk factor for HIV in Delaware. Delaware
Health and Human Services noted that black men comprised 62 percent of
HIV-infected Delaware residents. HIV incidence was especially high in
Wilmington; although only 14 percent of New Castle County’s population lived in
Wilmington, 42 percent of HIV-infected people resided in the city.
Joe Scarborough, patient advocate
for the Delaware AIDS Consortium, stated that young MSM have lost a sense of
urgency about protecting themselves from HIV because of improved treatment.
Renee Beaman, executive director of the faith-based initiative Beautiful Gate
Outreach, noted that many churches “don’t know how to talk about sex and
homosexuality” and believed that HIV was a “gay, white disease,” when it was
really an equal opportunity virus. Beautiful Gate provides free HIV rapid
testing for approximately 1,500 clients annually and assists with education,
food, housing, and care. Darcy Brasure, director of volunteer services for AIDS
Delaware, reported that many people were reluctant to have HIV testing because
state law does not allow anonymity.
Delaware HIV incidence attributed to
injection drug use dropped from 49 percent of HIV/AIDS cases in 1993 to 6
percent in 2011. Brasure attributed the sharp decline to New Castle County’s
free needle exchange program. Improved prenatal care prevented HIV transmission
for all Delaware babies born to HIV-infected mothers in 2011.
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!
