Nearly one out of five adults in New York City is at risk for HIV infection through intravenous-drug use or unprotected sex with multiple partners, according to a study released January 10, the city’s NY1 cable news network reports (ny1.com, 1/10).
According to the report, however, 92 percent of New Yorkers do not consider themselves at risk, though the current rate of infection is 1.4 percent—four times the national average. HIV has become increasingly prevalent among New York City’s African-American and Hispanic populations, while rates among city men who have sex with men (MSM) are roughly 40 times higher than that those of other groups.
“HIV infections are on the rise in young men who have sex with men, men under the age of 30,” city Health Commissioner Thomas Frieden told NY1. “And we are trying to figure out what is the best way of getting the message across that AIDS is still an incurable disease.”
Frieden and other city officials plan on further educating MSM on the dangers of HIV and will continue to distribute more than 3 million city-branded condoms per month.
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comments 1 - 3
phyllis marks, new york,new york, 2008-01-25 18:45:05
I am 65 yrs. young living with aids since 1986 and am a gay woman.However, I've been sober long enough to know that a lot of what looks like HIV is first dealing with addiction than HIV. I'd love to be contacted.
Jeff Lane, Fort Wayne, 2008-01-17 09:27:31
This comes as no suprise to me. We (in prevention) have constantly been trying to reduce the stigma about this disease since day one, and obviously, we need to agressively continue. As for our younger generation, we must not back down on educating our youth and must fight for more a more comprehensive format in which to do this. I am hoping that after the presidential election, we will have a commander in chief that will commit to the war on AIDS here in the US, as Mr. Bush has in IRAQ.
Javier, New York City, 2008-01-15 10:20:15
Here is an article that was in the NYT on January 2.
www.nytimes.com/2008/01/02/nyregion/02hiv.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
