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HIV/AIDS Rate in D.C. Hits 3%

F

FallingPianos

Considered a 'Severe' Epidemic, Every Mode of Transmission Is Increasing, City Study Finds
By Jose Antonio Vargas and Darryl Fears
Washington Post Staff Writers
Sunday, March 15, 2009; Page A01


At least 3 percent of District residents have HIV or AIDS, a total that far surpasses the 1 percent threshold that constitutes a "generalized and severe" epidemic, according to a report scheduled to be released by health officials tomorrow.

That translates into 2,984 residents per every 100,000 over the age of 12 -- or 15,120 -- according to the 2008 epidemiology report by the District's HIV/AIDS office.

"Our rates are higher than West Africa," said Shannon L. Hader, director of the District's HIV/AIDS Administration, who once led the Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's work in Zimbabwe. "They're on par with Uganda and some parts of Kenya."

"We have every mode of transmission" -- men having sex with men, heterosexual and injected drug use -- "going up, all on the rise, and we have to deal with them," Hader said.

among other findings...

The HIV prevalence increased 22% from 2006.
The HIV rate among black men is 7%
Nearly 10% of the population age 40-49 are HIV positive.


I'm not really sure what I can add to this. There is no excuse for this. We have the resources to educate the public about HIV/AIDS, to provide confidential testing, and to provide treatment. Until dealing with HIV/AIDS is made into a real priority, HIV rates will continue to escalate exponentially.
 
among other findings...

The HIV prevalence increased 22% from 2006.
The HIV rate among black men is 7%
Nearly 10% of the population age 40-49 are HIV positive.


I'm not really sure what I can add to this. There is no excuse for this. We have the resources to educate the public about HIV/AIDS, to provide confidential testing, and to provide treatment. Until dealing with HIV/AIDS is made into a real priority, HIV rates will continue to escalate exponentially.
Isn't DC like...THE most liberal city in the union(besides San Fran)?

Seems, like your sex ed programs aren't working out as well.
 
among other findings...

The HIV prevalence increased 22% from 2006.
The HIV rate among black men is 7%
Nearly 10% of the population age 40-49 are HIV positive.


I'm not really sure what I can add to this. There is no excuse for this. We have the resources to educate the public about HIV/AIDS, to provide confidential testing, and to provide treatment. Until dealing with HIV/AIDS is made into a real priority, HIV rates will continue to escalate exponentially.

People already know how AIDS is acquired.

There is really nothing else you can do to educate someone who doesn't care if they spread it or not.
 
Isn't DC like...THE most liberal city in the union(besides San Fran)?

Seems, like your sex ed programs aren't working out as well.

You want to, umm, give us some data to back that up?
 
You want to, umm, give us some data to back that up?

A gun ban and a nigger in the white house makes it the most liberal city in the country. :lol:
 
Isn't DC like...THE most liberal city in the union(besides San Fran)?

Seems, like your sex ed programs aren't working out as well.

I would caution you against making hasty judgements about how sex education relates to HIV/AIDS in DC. I should point out that nationally, the south is the region of the US that has the highest STD rates.

the fact is that the demographics of DC make it difficult to compare to other cities. over 50% of the population is black, and roughly 8% are GLBT. both populations are disproportionately impacted by HIV nationally. D.C. also has a much higher rate of illiteracy compared to the rest of the country.
 
I knew it!

Aids/Hiv is part of the Liberal Agenda.

It does seem a little bit trashy, however, that the district where our President resides holds such a record when it comes to Aids; something people normally attribute to a more Afro-Centric world (I don't even know if that is correct, Afro-Centric)
 
Isn't DC like...THE most liberal city in the union(besides San Fran)?

Seems, like your sex ed programs aren't working out as well.

I'd think it has more to do with the poverty and crime in DC. Although if I remember correctly the education system there is extremely bad so poor education could have contributed.
 
People already know how AIDS is acquired.

There is really nothing else you can do to educate someone who doesn't care if they spread it or not.

People, for the most part, do know how it is spread, yes. Unfortunately, the social-conservative zombies are unwilling to accept the findings.

For instance, needle exchange programs for addicts, which would inevitably lower the probability of poor addicts contracting the virus, are shunned. This is largely because christian parents are unable to teach their children common sense and fear such a move would persuade the children to begin pumping heroin into their veins.

As another example, respectable sex-ed programs which do the basics covering, well, sexual education, are shunned. Again, our most pious parents are unable to teach their children very basic things in life (or concerning the creation thereof) and using their hordes of link-minded anti-intellectuals enact legislation which denies money to education regarding how to properly prevent the spread of STDs and contraceptives to stop this alarming trend (as they claim that the more their children know, the more immoral they will be). As FallingPianos rightly points out, an abstinence-type education on the matter, in this case personified throughout the South, has been shown to be nothing but an abject failure at teaching the populace the dangers we collectively face from the spread of STDs, especially those which are the most life-threatening such as HIV.
 
People, for the most part, do know how it is spread, yes. Unfortunately, the social-conservative zombies are unwilling to accept the findings.

For instance, needle exchange programs for addicts, which would inevitably lower the probability of poor addicts contracting the virus, are shunned. This is largely because christian parents are unable to teach their children common sense and fear such a move would persuade the children to begin pumping heroin into their veins.

As another example, respectable sex-ed programs which do the basics covering, well, sexual education, are shunned. Again, our most pious parents are unable to teach their children very basic things in life (or concerning the creation thereof) and using their hordes of link-minded anti-intellectuals enact legislation which denies money to education regarding how to properly prevent the spread of STDs and contraceptives to stop this alarming trend (as they claim that the more their children know, the more immoral they will be). As FallingPianos rightly points out, an abstinence-type education on the matter, in this case personified throughout the South, has been shown to be nothing but an abject failure at teaching the populace the dangers we collectively face from the spread of STDs, especially those which are the most life-threatening such as HIV.

I think its just the continuous culture of poverty DC is so famous for.

The locals say they want positive change but they are doing very little to accomplish this, instead waiting on government to solve all their ills which is impossible.
 
People, for the most part, do know how it is spread, yes. Unfortunately, the social-conservative zombies are unwilling to accept the findings.

I'm a gay conservative man who used to live in DC. As much as I'd like to, I can't blame social conservatives or lack of education for the HIV infections of the gay men I've known.

Alcohol... drugs... partying... risky behavior. They know the risks. They gamble with the odds. Sometimes they lose.

Social conservative 'zombies' don't have a thing to do with it.

:2wave:
 
Out of curiosity, is there still decent sex-ed in DC schools?

Moving to TX I was suprised to find that sex-ed was a non-factor for the most part throughout high-school.
 
http://www.infectiousdiseasenews.com/article/37100.aspx said:
Blacks, women most affected

Washington D.C. began HIV surveillance in 2000 using code-based reporting for new HIV cases. Statistics in the report represent data collected between Jan. 1, 2001 and Nov. 16, 2006.

In 2006, there were 12,428 people with HIV or AIDS in Washington, D.C. Of those, 80.7% were black and 70% men. More than two-thirds of newly-reported HIV and AIDS patients were aged 30 to 49 years.

Between 1997 and 2006, nearly 70% of all HIV cases progressed from HIV to AIDS in less than one year after initial diagnosis, compared with 39% nationally. Late diagnosis was attributed to late testing.

Nine percent of pediatric AIDS cases in the United States during 2005 were reported from Washington, D.C. Fifty-six children aged 13 years and younger were diagnosed with HIV or AIDS in Washington, D.C. between 2001 and 2006. Many states reported no new cases among children during the same time.

Racial disparity was reported in the statistics. Black residents accounted for 57% of the population but accounted for 81% of the newly-reported HIV cases. Black women comprised 58% of all women in the city, but accounted for 90% of all new HIV cases in women. Black children were predominantly affected by HIV (97.3%) and AIDS (95.3%).

The leading mode of HIV transmission in Washington, D.C. is heterosexual contact, which was reported in 37% of cases.

People too often use statistics in debate to polarize the HIV/AIDS argument into some sort of stigma for a social class in the population. For instance... it must be the gays, or it must be the blacks, or it must be those people over there.

They look at the biggest number and place blame. When are people going to realize that every class in society, every race, and every sexual orientation is affected by this heinous disease? It is a worldwide epidemic that is not getting nearly enough coverage by the media. And why? Are we afraid to talk about this creeping killer? The numbers grow yearly.

I blame silence the most for the spread of this. There is such little dialogue in society about what AIDS represents, and the only dialogue I seem to come across is discussing statistics and which group is the most to blame. Just because heterosexuals have the highest numbers in D.C. does not mean that gays should feel safe; just because blacks have the highest numbers does not mean whites should feel safe. EVERYONE should recognize the larger societal impacts of this illness.

I don't blame the sex education system. I blame the rest of society. In school, students walk into a sex ed class and it's a very technically, cold explanation of what sexuality and diseases are. Maybe they get to watch a few videos where people give testimony, and maybe then they get to put a condom on a banana. It's all compartmentalized into one room, and when the students leave, they leave that thought process behind them.

Dialogue on sexuality must be ongoing and part of the general societal dialogue. And I don't mean looking at porn or watching racy t.v shows. There has to be more communication which connects the education with reality, and not in such a textbook fashion. Then people will realize that AIDS is very real, and not some abstract term that they learned in health class.
 
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People too often use statistics in debate to polarize the HIV/AIDS argument into some sort of stigma for a social class in the population. For instance... it must be the gays, or it must be the blacks, or it must be those people over there.

They look at the biggest number and place blame. When are people going to realize that every class in society, every race, and every sexual orientation is affected by this heinous disease? It is a worldwide epidemic that is not getting nearly enough coverage by the media. And why? Are we afraid to talk about this creeping killer? The numbers grow yearly.

It's not quite as egalitarian of a disease as you imply. Among heterosexuals who do not engage in homosexual encounters on the side (or have sex with those who do) and who do not share needles, HIV is incredibly rare. It's astoundingly difficult to get HIV from traditional heterosexual sex. The odds that a man having unprotected vaginal sex with an HIV+ female will get infected is 0.05%. That's nearly infinitesimal. For a female involved in unprotected vaginal sex with a man with HIV, the odds only increase to 0.1%. The two main non-childbirth/non-blood transfusion ways that HIV is transmitted are through:

1) Unprotected receptive anal intercourse (0.5%), and
2) IV Drug Needle sharing (0.67%)

For people who are circumcised, the rate is further cut in half. For those that use condoms, it drops another 85%.

Simply put, if you're a circumcised heterosexual who uses condoms and only has intercourse with women who don't have sex with bisexual men or use IV drugs, you really don't need to worry about HIV.
 
It's apparently the fourth most liberal city, behind Detroit, MI; Gary, IN; and San Fran.

That being said, I think it's obvious that that's not the (sole) reason for the epidemic in DC. In a day and age where there is free 15-minute HIV testing and condoms available to anyone who wants them, there is just no excuse. Embarrassing.

I was actually more concerend with data that would back up his assertion that sex ed was what was failing.

You are correct on the points about HIV testing and condoms. There really is no excuse here in the US.
 
They waited far too long to allow public funding of needle exchange programs. They didn't lift the ban till 2007 despite the abundance of evidence in support of such programs. They've been shown to work. When you are talking about poor drug addicted minorities sex ed in schools is a non-issue.
 
clearly, there is a lot of blame that can be passed around here.

we can blame the blocks on needle exchange programs
we can blame poor sex education
we can blame people for being promiscuous (however you happen do define that)
we can blame people for not getting tested
we can blame people for using drugs

we've been blaming people for the past 25 years, and it doesn't work.

until, as a society, we're able to talk openly about sex, drugs, and the social barriers that prevent people from protecting themselves, this epidemic is not going away.
 
until, as a society, we're able to talk openly about sex, drugs, and the social barriers that prevent people from protecting themselves, this epidemic is not going away.

Actually, I don't think 'talk' is going to solve the problem. As a gay man, I engaged in risky behavior more times than I'd care to admit. Not because I hadn't 'talked.' Not because I wasn't educated. Not because condoms were unavailable. I didn't it because I was horny and often had had a little too much or way too much to drink. A little alcohol and all cares go out the window.

It's the same reason normally sane men and women... sometimes highly educated people... will put the key in the ignition and drive home despite their BAC level. Are they aware of the risk at some level? Are they aware they're playing Russian Roulette? Sure. But they do it. Normally they make it home in one piece. But do that enough and sooner or later something's going to happen.

If you've ever driven drunk, ask yourself.... was it because of lack of 'open talk' about drunk driving in society?

Fortunately for me... the only thing I ended up with due to alcohol was a DUI charge. I escaped the HIV.

;)
 
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Actually, I don't think 'talk' is going to solve the problem. As a gay man, I engaged in risky behavior more times than I'd care to admit. Not because I hadn't 'talked.' Not because I wasn't educated. Not because condoms were unavailable. I didn't it because I was horny and often had had a little too much or way too much to drink. A little alcohol and all cares go out the window.

It's the same reason normally sane men and women... sometimes highly educated people... will put the key in the ignition and drive home despite their BAC level. Are they aware of the risk at some level? Are they aware they're playing Russian Roulette? Sure. But they do it. Normally they make it home in one piece. But do that enough and sooner or later something's going to happen.

If you've ever driven drunk, ask yourself.... was it because of lack of 'open talk' about drunk driving in society?

Fortunately for me... the only thing I ended up with due to alcohol was a DUI charge. I escaped the HIV.

;)

obviously talk alone wont solve the problem. my point is that silence doesn't stop it, it merely pushes it underground and exacerbates the problem.
 
clearly, there is a lot of blame that can be passed around here.

we can blame the blocks on needle exchange programs
we can blame poor sex education
we can blame people for being promiscuous (however you happen do define that)
we can blame people for not getting tested
we can blame people for using drugs

we've been blaming people for the past 25 years, and it doesn't work.

until, as a society, we're able to talk openly about sex, drugs, and the social barriers that prevent people from protecting themselves, this epidemic is not going away.

As the post above points out, the ability to "talk openly" will not do anything. There are no "social barriers" preventing people from protecting themselves.

Condoms are free.
HIV testing is free.
The ability to avoid risky situations is free.

Rather than worrying about the entire population talking, why don't the populations that are most likely to be affected take responsibility for doing something about it?

edit: What "silence"? I don't know of anyone who doesn't know what AIDS is and who doesn't know exactly how you get it. "Silence" is not the problem.
 
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RightinNYC said:
There are no "social barriers" preventing people from protecting themselves.

fear that their partner will accuse them of being unfaithful or promiscuous prevent people from using condoms.

fear of stigma and discrimination prevent people from getting tested.

discrimination against people with HIV, homophobia, and ridged gender roles are real problems. no HIV prevention efforts would be complete without addressing these issues.
 
obviously talk alone wont solve the problem. my point is that silence doesn't stop it, it merely pushes it underground and exacerbates the problem.

Is there really anyone left in society that doesn't know that sharing needles or unprotected gay sex carries the risk of contracting HIV?

You could throw the entire $1 trillion stimulus package at this problem, and it wouldn't make a bit of difference.
 
fear that their partner will accuse them of being unfaithful or promiscuous prevent people from using condoms.

fear of stigma and discrimination prevent people from getting tested.

discrimination against people with HIV, homophobia, and ridged gender roles are real problems. no HIV prevention efforts would be complete without addressing these issues.

Why would you be fearful of getting tested? Medical records are confidential. I went to get tested once; can't say I was concerned with being discriminated against. I was mostly concerned about telling the cute girl at the insurance desk why I was there.

"So, what do you need to see the doctor for?"

"Uhhhhh...ST*cough*D test."

"Pardon? I couldn't understand you."

"...std test."
 
fear that their partner will accuse them of being unfaithful or promiscuous prevent people from using condoms.

Ridiculous. People are more worried about their partner thinking they're being unfaithful than they are of every other STD out there, not to mention pregnancy? And even were that a valid concern, if neither partner is being unfaithful, then it's unlikely that there's a problem.

fear of stigma and discrimination prevent people from getting tested.

Like Ethereal pointed out, how is anyone scared of this? I've gotten STD tests at city clinics a handful of times and was never concerned about anyone finding anything out. It's all confidential and can be done anonymously.

discrimination against people with HIV, homophobia, and ridged gender roles are real problems.

How are "rigid gender roles" a problem that causes the spread of HIV?

no HIV prevention efforts would be complete without addressing these issues.

This may be true, but it doesn't mean that addressing them will solve the problem or even do much of anything. Far more important, IMO, is for the affected communities to be spearheading the charge. Go to an AIDS awareness event in NYC and look at the crowd. It's 85% white, upper-middle class, heterosexual, college-educated females. Is this really the group that should be most involved in the issue?
 
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