Number of HIVers Spreading the Virus Drops

The annual HIV transmission rate in the United States has declined dramatically over the course of the epidemic, according to a newly published study conducted jointly by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Johns Hopkins University.The annual rate of HIV transmission declined from 44 of every 100 people who had HIV in 1984 to 6.6 of every 100 HIV patients in the early 1990s, according to the study. Today, the annual transmission rate is about 5 per 100 HIV patients. The rate declined by 89% from 1984 to 2006, and by 33% from 1997 to 2006.“For every 100 persons living with HIV today, five or fewer will transmit the virus to an uninfected person in a given year,” said study leader David Holtgrave of Johns Hopkins. The findings, based on the CDC’s latest annual data on new HIV infections, “reflect the success of prevention efforts across the nation,” said coauthor Richard Wolitski of the CDC.“I think it’s really the result of the combination -- HIV prevention efforts that include HIV testing, prevention programs for people who are living with HIV and those who are at risk for HIV, as well as the effects of HIV treatment that have prolonged the lives of so many people living with HIV,” Wolitski said. “These data really show that people living with HIV are taking steps to be responsible and protect others.” “However, despite this success, we cannot forget that new HIV infections are increasing among gay and bisexual men and that African-Americans and Hispanics continue to experience disproportionate and unacceptably high rates of HIV and AIDS,” Wolitski said. “The fight against HIV is far from over.”
The research letter, titled “Updated Annual HIV Transmission Rates in the United States, 1977–2006,” was published online ahead of print in the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes. SOURCE:HIVPLUSMAG.COM