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While we feature articles of particular interest on our site, here are a few constantly-updated and trusted news sources for the latest HIV/AIDS news.

******************************************RECENT NEWS *************************************************

Overview of the AIDS Epidemic

HHS/CDC’s 2007 HIV/AIDS Surveillance Report presents estimated numbers of cases of
HIV/AIDS from the 35 areas (33 states, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands) with mature HIV
surveillance systems. From 2006 to 2007, the total number of new HIV/AIDS cases in the 33 states increased slightly from 38,531 to 44,084.
By transmission category, MSM remained the most heavily affected group, accounting for 53 percent (28,700) of people living with HIV infections in 2006. CDC’s historical trend analysis indicates that HIV incidence has been increasing steadily among gay and bisexual men since the early 1990s, confirming a trend suggested by other data showing increases in risk behavior, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), and HIV diagnoses in this population. Individuals infected through high-risk heterosexual contact comprised 31 percent (16,800). The historical analysis suggests that the number of new infections in this population fluctuated somewhat throughout the 1990s and has declined in recent years. Those infected through injection-drug use accounted for 12 percent (6,600) of the U.S. HIV-positive population. CDC’s historical trend analysis indicates that new infections have declined dramatically in this population; between 1988-90 and 2003-06, HIV infections among injection drug users declined 80%. These declines confirm the success in reducing HIV infections among injection drug users. Although roughly three-quarters (74 percent) of Americans estimated to be living with HIV are male, the epidemic is increasingly
affecting women (HHS/CDC, 2008). HIV continues to have the greatest prevalence in the United States among African Americans and men who have sex with men (MSM)1. At the end of 2006, blacks accounted for 45 percent (24,900) of people estimated to be living with HIV in the U.S., whites accounted for 35 (19,600) percent, and Hispanics for 17 percent (9,700).
Geographically, the distribution of AIDS diagnosis rates per 100,000 for adults and adolescents in 2007 was highest in metropolitan areas with a population of more than 500,000. Southern States (Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia) experienced the highest burden of disease, followed by the Northeast.

1 See Part B, Section III, Question 23 for information on percentage data.

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