Pubdate: Fri, 29 Jun 2001
Source: Union-News (MA)
Copyright: 2001 Union-News
Contact:  http://www.masslive.com/news/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/860
Author: John F. Lauerman

SPRINGFIELD TALLY HITS 1,000 AIDS CASES

The City Hit A Dubious Milestone June 1 When Its 1,000th Case Of AIDS Was 
Recorded.

According to the state Department of Health's HIV/AIDS Surveillance 
program, 552 Springfield people have died of AIDS since the epidemic began 
more than 20 years ago, and 448 still live with the condition.

Since the state began keeping records in 1999, 332 Springfield residents 
have been diagnosed with HIV without yet progressing to AIDS.

More than two-thirds of all AIDS cases were related to drug use. 
Intravenous drug users represented 54 percent of the cases, while 14 
percent were homosexual men and drug users, and 7.3 percent may have 
contracted the disease through drug use or heterosexual sex.

Comprehensive programs are needed to stop the spread of HIV among drug 
users, said Brightwood Health Center medical director Dr. Jeff Scavron, who 
advocates clean-needle programs.

"This epidemic can't be stopped with needle exchange alone," he said. "We 
need a big response from the community."

Homosexual men who were not intravenous drug users constituted 18.1 percent 
of the AIDS cases.

Indicating their increasing vulnerability to the epidemic, women 
represented 45 percent of the city's HIV diagnoses. Health care providers 
need to recognize that this "next wave" of infections is occurring among 
women, according to Springfield health commissioner Helen Caulton-Harris, 
who called on the Department of Public Health to assess Springfield's AIDS 
services.

"HIV/AIDS is a community concern and each member must take some 
responsibility," she said.

Brightwood Health Center nurse practitioner Ellen Miller-Mack said that the 
numbers of infected women did not come as a surprise, but reflect 
increasing vulnerability to infection among poor minority women who may 
depend on men engaging in risky behaviors. More than 52 percent of HIV 
infected Springfield residents are Hispanic, while 28 percent are black and 
18 percent are white.

"We have to focus on reducing transmission," she said, "but the way to do 
it is going to be by changing the condition of poor women's lives."
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MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart