For Immediate Release
Media Contact:
Justin Burke - 213.201.1525
EMAIL:jburke@apla.org
HIV INFECTIONS IN U.S. CONTINUE AMONG GAY MEN AND BLACKS, DESPITE DROPS
New CDC Data Underscores Need for California to Adopt Names-Based Reporting
Los Angeles, CA, November 17, 2005 – AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA)
today reacted with concern to new HIV data released today by the U.S. Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggesting that gay men and blacks
continue to account for the majority of new diagnoses in the U.S.
The data indicates drops of five percent per year during 2001-2004 among blacks and an average of nine percent by year among injecting drug users (IDUs). Despite these decreases, CDC warns that racial disparities in HIV diagnoses and the over-representation of gay men among new diagnoses remain significant challenges.
Drawn from 33 states conducting names-based HIV reporting for at least four years, the data includes New York State for the first time, and thus provides a more accurate representation of HIV in the U.S. According to CDC, New York State accounts for over 20 percent of new diagnoses reported during this period.
In California, SB 946, a bill to adopt names-based reporting, failed to reach the Assembly at the end of its session in September and is currently stalled in the Senate Judiciary Committee. Advocates anticipate that the Legislature will take up this issue in January when it reconvenes, and to pass a names-based bill in the upcoming session. Once passed, it will take California two years to report credible data to the CDC.
“The need for California to adopt names-based reporting is clear,” said Craig E. Thompson, executive director of AIDS Project Los Angeles. “Proportionate funding for HIV/AIDS services in Los Angeles and the roadmap for how and where to deliver them will improve from this transition. Fears about confidentiality have not been borne out, and the time has come to make the change. We sincerely hope CDC will hold California harmless in the interim.”
Among males, the majority of HIV diagnoses during 2001-2004 occurred in men who have sex with men. Fifty-one percent of all new HIV diagnoses occurred among blacks.
Blacks in Los Angeles continue to be disproportionately impacted by HIV/AIDS. In late September, Gov. Schwarzenegger signed into law AB 1142, which addresses the impact of HIV/AIDS on blacks in Los Angeles, the Inland Empire, Sacramento, San Diego and the San Francisco Bay Area.
The law requires the formation of a not-for-profit organization by Jan. 1, 2008, to create and manage a statewide prevention and services infrastructure and to coordinate research, data and funding for HIV/AIDS-related efforts focused on blacks in California.
In releasing the national data, CDC suggested that “increased.” “culturally appropriate” prevention programs for black communities will be needed to confront the epidemic among them.
“We hope CDC will make good on its pledge to fight the spread of HIV/AIDS in black communities, especially communities of black gay men, by increasing prevention funding and trusting local knowledge about how best to spend it,” Thompson added. “Thus far, CDC’s narrow focus on HIV testing, rather than a full arsenal of prevention strategies, hinders us as we try to reach those most at risk. With AB 1142, California now has the chance to lead the way and make real progress.”
AIDS Project Los Angeles, one of the largest non-profit AIDS service organizations in the United States, provides bilingual direct services, prevention education and leadership on HIV/AIDS-related policy and legislation. Founded by four friends in 1982, APLA is a community-based, volunteer-supported organization with local, national and global reach. For more information, visit www.apla.org.
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