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Div. of Media Relations
1600 Clifton Road
MS D-14
Atlanta, GA 30333
(404) 639-3286
Fax (404) 639-7394 |
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Fact Sheet
Embargoed until noon:
November 17, 2005 |
Contact: National Center for
HIV, STD, and TB
Office of Communication
(404) 639-8895 |
PDF version for printing
New HIV Diagnoses, 33 States, 2001-2004
In the 33 states that conducted confidential, name-based reporting
between 2001-2004, a total of 157,252 people were diagnosed with HIV. For the
first time ever, this national total includes data from New York State, thus
providing a more representative picture of the U.S. epidemic.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) analysis of trends in
diagnoses of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) includes all new HIV
diagnoses, with or without an AIDS diagnosis, in the 33 states that have
conducted confidential, name-based HIV case reporting for at least four
years.* New York State’s HIV cases account for over 20 percent of all new
diagnoses reported during 2001-2004. The addition of New York State provides
a more representative sample of U.S. diagnoses, but means it is not possible
to directly compare the data and trends in this report to earlier reports.
It is important to remember that the number of new HIV diagnoses is
influenced by both the underlying trends in new HIV infections as well as
trends in HIV testing (e.g., an increase in HIV testing, by itself, could
result in more cases of HIV being diagnosed.) As a result, it often difficult
to interpret emerging trends, particularly in an era marked by concerted
efforts to increase HIV testing among people in high-risk populations.
Key Findings from the 2001—2004, 33 state, HIV Diagnoses Data
- Despite 5 percent annual drop in rate of HIV diagnosis among blacks,
racial disparities remain severe.
The rate of HIV diagnosis in the United States remained relatively stable
overall during 2001-2004 (i.e., 22.8 per 100,000 people in 2001 compared to
20.7 per 100,000 people in 2004). The rate of diagnosis among blacks,
however, declined by about 5 percent per year (i.e., from 88.7 per 100,000
in 2001 to 76.3 per 100,000 in 2004).
Despite the decline, the rate of HIV diagnosis among blacks remained 8.4
times higher than the rate among whites in 2004 (i.e., 76.3 per 100,000
compared to 9.0 per 100,000). By race, more than half of all HIV diagnoses
were among blacks.
- Impact of HIV remains greatest among gay and bisexual men.
By transmission category, men who have sex with men continued to account
for the largest number of diagnoses overall.
Among males, the majority of diagnoses occurred among men who have sex with
men (MSM). However, the proportion of HIV diagnoses attributed to
heterosexual exposure varied considerably by race, from a low of 6 percent
among whites to a high of 25 percent among blacks. It is therefore
essential that HIV/AIDS prevention programs for minority men address
multiple routes of exposure.
Among females, the majority of HIV diagnoses, regardless of race, occurred
through heterosexual exposure.
- HIV diagnoses among men who have sex with men increased in 2004, but
reasons for increase are unclear.
The estimated number of HIV diagnoses among men who have sex with men
remained relatively stable between 2001 and 2003, but increased 8 percent
between 2003 and 2004. This trend was consistent across all race
categories.
The recent increase in HIV diagnoses among men who have sex with men may
reflect increases in HIV incidence, consistent with reported increases in
risk behaviors and syphilis, but it may also reflect an increase in HIV
testing among men who have sex with men. As a result of recent and
continued efforts to encourage and expand HIV testing, CDC expects to see
increases in HIV diagnoses, regardless of underlying trends in infection.
However, data are not yet sufficient to determine the impact of these
efforts in specific populations. Subsequent analyses will further examine
whether there are differences in testing and HIV incidence trends among
different groups, as well as examine the influence of the addition of New
York State’s data on any trends or changes.
- HIV diagnoses declined among injection drug users and heterosexuals,
partly due to inclusion of New York State data.
From 2001 to 2004, overall diagnoses in these 33 states decreased slightly,
from 41,207 to 38,685. There was a 9 percent average annual decline in
estimated diagnoses among intravenous drug users (IDU), as well as about a
4 percent average annual decline among heterosexuals. These trends were
driven by declines in diagnoses in New York State during this four-year
period. The decline in HIV diagnoses among intravenous drug users is
consistent with prior studies, suggesting that prevention efforts have
helped reduce new HIV infections in this population.
- Improved tracking of the HIV epidemic is still needed.
The inclusion of New York State greatly strengthens the analysis of the
magnitude and direction of trends in HIV diagnoses by providing a more
representative sample of U.S. HIV diagnoses than prior analyses. However, a
number of high-morbidity areas that lack long-standing confidential,
name-based HIV reporting, including California and Illinois, are still not
included.
To improve the nation’s ability to monitor the HIV epidemic, CDC recommends
that all states and territories adopt confidential, name-based HIV
reporting systems. In addition, CDC is working with states to develop a new
system for monitoring HIV incidence (new infections) more directly through
the use of a testing method that distinguishes recent from longstanding
infections. Data are expected from that system next year.
- There is a need for increased HIV/AIDS prevention efforts that focus
on blacks and men who have sex with men.
HIV/AIDS diagnoses continue to disproportionately impact blacks, with black
men who have sex with men, and black women most severely affected. In
recent years, efforts have been mobilized across the United States to
address this threat, but clearly more must be done. CDC is committed to
working in partnership with black communities and other government agencies
to ensure that all individuals at risk have access to culturally
appropriate, effective prevention programs, and early HIV testing and
treatment. CDC is collaborating with community leaders from across the
country to prioritize prevention needs and to develop and implement
interventions that will reduce HIV transmission among black men who have
sex with men and women, in particular, and other at-risk populations.
----------------------
* HIV case reporting from these states is included in the MMWR
analysis: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Idaho,
Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri,
Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North
Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah,
Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. |
