In the United States:
The CDC estimates that between 800,000 and 900,000 people in the U.S. are living with HIV/AIDS. Of them, a record (& increasing) number-- 297,136 -- are estimated to be living with AIDS. Public education and prevention efforts and newer, more effective therapies have helped slow the annual increase in the number of AIDS cases.
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AIDS deaths have also declined in recent years, although this trend too has been slowing. Yet despite declining AIDS cases and deaths, the rate of new HIV infections has not declined, remaining steady at about 40,000 annually.
The picture on the left, illustrates that as the number of new infections in the United States stays at about 40,000 and the number of people dying of AIDS lessens, the number of HIV+ individuals in the U.S. is actually growing.
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The disproportionate impact of the epidemic on racial and ethnic minorities has been increasing, and minority Americans now represent the majority both of new HIV and AIDS cases, and of those living with AIDS. In 1998, African Americans represented 45 percent of new AIDS cases yet accounted for only 12 percent of the total population. Latino/a Americans represented 20 percent of new AIDS cases but only 13 percent of the population. African Americans and Latino/a Americans represent 40 and 20 percent, respectively, of those living with AIDS.
The proportion of AIDS cases reported among women each year has more than tripled, from 7 percent in 1986 to 23 percent in 1998. African American women account for 62 percent of AIDS cases reported among all women.
HIV/AIDS is also increasingly becoming a disease of young adults. At least one-half of all new HIV infections are estimated to be among people under 25, and the majority of young people are infected heterosexually.
Why are homosexuals and people of color disproportionately affected by HIV?
Although we know that HIV transmission is caused by specific behavior, transmission is also much more complicated than individual behavior. Transmission does not occur in a vacuum; racism, sexism, homophobia, economic status and other socio-economic determinates all play a role in the spread of this epidemic.
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| Taking the simplistic example above, if both persons have 4 unprotected sex acts, their individual behavior will be exactly the same, but their risk of infection will be very different. Person number 1 will have a high chance of becoming HIV infected and person 2 will have a low chance of becoming infected. The context changes their risk. |
In King County:
HIV is best thought of as many epidemics among population subgroups because of striking variations in infection rates. Gay and bisexual men in King County who are currently sexually active are at high risk, with an estimated 14-21% infected. Heterosexual injection drug users have a relatively low prevalence of infection (<3%). HIV infection also varies by race--higher rates are observed in African Americans, Native Americans, and Hispanics compared to Whites and Asians. HIV is not distributed uniformly in the county, with the majority of infections being in Seattle residents. These variations emphasize the need to tailor HIV prevention programs to specific populations at risk.
Public Health estimates that between 6,000 and 9,000 (midpoint=7,500) King County residents have HIV infection. This estimate is based on the CDC's national HIV prevalence estimate published in 1996.
