Ify and Them

According to estimates released by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, New York City’s rate of HIV infection is about three times that of the national rate.  The agency estimated that 72 of every 100,000 New Yorkers–a total of 4800 individuals–contracted HIV in 2006.  This is more than triple the national rate of 23 per 100,000.

“The populations that bear the greatest burden nationally–blacks, for example, and men who have sex with men–are highly represented in New York City.  Because HIV is more prevalent within those groups, the risk of HIV infection per sexual contact is higher.”

Health Commissioner Thomas Freidan

The actual numbers are speculated to be higher–maybe even to a significant degree–due to the non-disclosure of sexual practices, younger sexually active persons, and the inconsistent use of prophylactics during sexual activities.  Many refuse to report to their doctors their actual sexual practices, and such individuals are far less likely to have been tested or get tested, which affect the prediction of how many are actually infected and affected.

This entry was posted on August 28, 2008 at 1:57 pm and is filed under AIDS, Current Events, Health with tags AIDS, black community, Current Events, Health, HIV, new york. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.