For Immediate Release
Media Contact:
Justin Burke - 213.201.1525
EMAIL:jburke@apla.org
AIDS PROJECT LOS ANGELES REACTS TO CDC DATA
Los Angeles, CA, July 28, 2003 -- AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA) today reacted with concern to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) report that the number of men who have sex with men diagnosed with HIV has risen for the third consecutive year in 2002.
The new findings, announced today at the 2003 National Prevention Conference in Atlanta, indicate that the number of newly diagnosed HIV cases among men who have sex with men has risen 7.1% from 2001 to 2002. Diagnoses among other high-risk groups have remained stable, according the data collected by the CDC from 25 states with long-standing HIV-reporting systems.
“Frustration with increased HIV diagnoses among gay and bisexual men should not cause us to grasp for seemingly easy prevention solutions or to place blame,” said Craig E. Thompson, APLA Executive Director. “HIV prevention needs for gay and bisexual men in the United States in 2003 are exceedingly more complex than the “A, B, C” strategy of abstinence, being faithful and using condoms highlighted during President Bush's recent trip to Africa.”
The CDC also announced an overall increase of 2.2
% in the number of new AIDS cases in the United States,
the first such rise since 1993. HIV diagnoses among
men who have sex with men have increased by 17.7
% since 1999. Dr. Harold Jaffe, director of the CDC
National Center for HIV, STD and TB Prevention, said
the new data could reflect both an increase in HIV
testing in this category and a potential increase
in the number of new infections.
“Promoting a variety of sustained safer personal
behaviors will always remain a goal of HIV prevention,” said
Mr. Thompson. “Racism, poverty and homophobia
clearly drive the spread of HIV at the community level,
especially among men of color who have sex with other
men. Frankly, these factors are often overlooked in
our national and local prevention planning. As we respond
to the data and to the CDC’s new prevention initiatives,
we can no longer ignore these factors as they contribute
to ongoing infections.”
AIDS Project Los Angeles, one of the nation’s largest AIDS service organizations, provides direct services to more than 10,000 men, women and children living with HIV and AIDS in Los Angeles County. Services include prevention education, food banks, professional dental care, housing assistance, mental health counseling, women’s services and case management. APLA is a leader in the provision of bilingual HIV treatment information, in print and on the Internet, and advocates for effective AIDS-related policies and legislation on the local, state and federal level. For more information, please visit www.apla.org.
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