Pubdate: Thu, 07 Aug 2008
Source: Milford Daily News, The (MA)
Copyright: 2008 The Milford Daily News
Contact:  http://www.milforddailynews.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2990
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?163 (HIV/AIDS)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?137 (Needle Exchange)

THE PREVENTABLE EPIDEMIC

The announcement over the weekend about AIDS contains  some good news 
in that the rate of HIV/AIDS infection  has remained relatively 
stable for about a decade and  bad news in that 40 percent more than 
previously  estimated are infected with the AIDS virus.

But there are still far too many people - about 15,000  - dying from 
the preventable disease every year and  those at the highest rate of 
incidence are continuing  to engage in high-risk behaviors. And the 
new study  suggests that one in four Americans who have the  disease 
do not know it.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released  a report 
over the weekend to coincide with the opening  of the 17th 
International AIDS Conference in Mexico  City that shows the number 
of those in the United  States infected with HIV in 2006 is actually 
higher  than the previous estimate.

The numbers come not because of a spike in infections  but rather 
because of advanced testing that can more  accurately determine the 
approximate time of infection  - separating infections less than five 
months old from  older infections - meaning there are an estimated 
56,300 people who were infected in 2006 rather than the  estimated 40,000.

The new test has prompted health officials to revise  other data 
about the annual rate of infection, but they  insist the numbers show 
the spread of the disease has  been relatively stable since the late 
1990's. The rate  of infections among heterosexuals and drug users 
has also dropped, according to the report.

With advancements in diagnoses and treatments, as well  as the 
extended incubation period of HIV, more than 1.2  million live with 
the virus in this country, although  the total figure is likely to be 
revised in the wake of  the new information.

What is most troubling about the report, however, is  the 
accompanying data which shows that gay men still  account for the 
majority of the infections, roughly 53  percent. And all minorities 
showed a higher rate of  infection than whites, especially black men, 
who  accounted for 45 percent of the infections, seven times  higher 
than whites and three times the rate of  Hispanics who were infected.

The current administration and its supporters have  broomed the 
incidence of HIV and AIDS in this country  under the table, insisting 
a change of habits and  abstinence are the best solution.

Abstinence from all high-risk behaviors is, indeed, a  method to 
reduce HIV infections. But with 15,000 people  still dying from AIDS 
every year, that message is not  resonating with everyone. The 
finding that one person  in four who is carrying HIV doesn't know it 
should prompt a candid discussion of whether HIV tests should  be 
part of the blood tests that accompany routine  physical examinations.

Whether it's the expansion of needle exchange programs,  condom 
distribution, prevention efforts, research,  treatment and reducing 
the stigma attached to  contracting a deadly disease, we need to do more.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom