Pubdate: Thu, 6 Dec 2007
Source: Washington Post (DC)
Page: B01
Copyright: 2007 The Washington Post Company
Contact:  http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/491
Author: Anita Kumar, Washington Post Staff Writer
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)
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NEW HIV-AIDS CASES DIP IN VA.

6,000 May Not Know They're Infected, Studies Say

RICHMOND -- Almost 19,000 people in Virginia are known to be living 
with HIV or AIDS and an additional 6,000 might not know they are 
infected, according to new state studies.

Newly diagnosed cases of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, and AIDS 
decreased from almost 1,600 in 1997 to just less than 1,200 in 2006 
in the state, according to the Virginia Department of Health. The 
number of people with HIV and AIDS has steadily increased in Virginia 
because people are living longer with improved drugs and more access 
to health care.

In general, more cases are reported in the more populated, urban 
areas of the state, though the smaller number of infected people in 
rural areas might have more trouble finding resources, said Kathy 
Hafford, acting director for the Health Department's Division of 
Disease Prevention. The pair of reports, prepared by the department 
and the Virginia HIV Community Planning Committee, was released to 
coincide with World AIDS Day, which was Saturday. Observed for the 
20th year, World AIDS Day is designed to increase awareness, fight 
prejudice and boost education.

"The plan and profile are useful for planners at both the state and 
local levels," said Elaine Martin, director of community services in 
the health department's division of disease prevention. "They provide 
city and county governments, community organizations, health-care 
planners and educators with current data they can use to create 
effective prevention and care plans to protect the people in their localities."

The rate of Virginians living with HIV or AIDS was 351 per 100,000 
men and 125 per 100,000 women at the end of 2006, according to the 
studies. Of those infected at that time, 62 percent were black, 31 
percent white and 6 percent Hispanic. The reports don't break down 
the numbers by county.

The statistics indicate that Virginia, where 18,587 have reported 
having HIV or AIDS in Virginia, is in line with other states. The 
national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 
about 25 percent more have not been tested and do not know they are 
infected. About a million people in the United States are living with 
HIV and AIDS. The CDC has previously reported that 40,000 new cases 
are reported each year but said recently that it will soon be 
revising that number to about 60,000.

The United Nations reports that 33 million people are living with HIV 
and AIDS worldwide, with about 2.5 million new cases reported this year.

The reports, conducted in Virginia every three years, provide 
information for health-care providers and others to help prioritize 
resources for prevention.

"Our community partners contributed real-life perspectives that 
helped us develop a thorough understanding of the populations at 
risk," Martin said. "That enhanced the efforts to identify unmet 
needs, research initiatives and effective prevention measures."

The authors recommend more money for needle exchange programs, 
collaborating with methamphetamine programs and using Spanish 
speakers to reach the Latino population.

"We never have enough have enough money to do all the prevention we 
can," Hafford said.

Last week, Eastern Virginia Medical School announced that it had 
received a $28.5 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates 
Foundation to help develop a topical gel that can prevent sexual 
transmission of HIV. The Contraceptive Research and Development 
(CONRAD) Program conducts worldwide research on reproductive health, 
including the prevention of AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. 
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake