New HIV infections in city 3 times national rate
Updated Wednesday, August 27th 2008, 3:55 PM
Kimberly Canady, 22, of Canarsie takes daily supplements to treat her HIV. New Yorkers are infected with HIV at a rate three times that of the rest of the country, new statistics show.
The HIV virus is spreading in New York at three times the national rate, a disturbing trend most prevalent among black and gay men, data released Wednesday shows.
The city counts 72 residents newly infected with HIV for every 100,000, according to the city Health Department.
Nationally, it's 23.
For the first time, the Health Department based its findings on a formula developed by the Centers for Disease Control that estimates how many people are infected instead of relying on those who are diagnosed by a doctor.
The measurement makes it difficult to determine if the new HIV infections are on the rise or falling, health officials conceded.
Here is what they do know:
- The rate of new HIV infections for men is three times higher than for women.
- The rate for city men is 117 per 100,000 and 34 nationally.
- The rate for city women is 33 per 100,000 and 12 nationally.
- Half of city infections occurred among men having sex with men.
- Black men accounted for 46% of the city’s new infections - 3.5 times the rate for white men.
- The rate for black men is 231 per 100,000.
- Hispanics accounted for 32% of new infections.
- New Yorkers under age 30 accounted for 28% of new infections compared to 41% nationally.
- Black New Yorkers under 30 accounted for nearly half of new infections.
The city estimated there were 4,762 New Yorkers who became infected in 2006.
"It shows who is getting infected now and where we need to direct resources for prevention, testing, linkage to care and partner notification," said Monica Sweeney, the Assistant Commissioner for HIV Prevention for the city agency.
