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.