D.C. Clinic
Registers 232% Rise in HIV Cases

An unusually high increase in the number of clients testing positive for HIV at the Whitman-Walker Clinic in Washington, D.C., has officials alarmed, according to the Washington Blade. The clinic reported that the total number of clients being tested has not changed drastically, yet the number of clients who are testing positive for HIV has jumped by 232% in the past year.

Out of the roughly 6,500 clients tested at the Whitman-Walker Clinic, 266 have tested positive for HIV so far in 2008. By this time in 2007, only 80 clients had tested positive. Clinic officials, including Dr. Raymond Martins, Whitman-Walker's chief medical officer, are concerned about the results and are working on a plan of action.

"These are troubling statistics that warrant more aggressive education, prevention, and testing initiatives," said Martins.

One such effort to investigate the reason for the rising number of infected clients was a focus group series directed by the clinic. The clinic interviewed various D.C. residents who fit into the demographic groups most often affected by HIV, including African-American heterosexuals, young gay men, and gay men of color.

According to the results of the study, there was one "surprising theme" among the groups -- "even though everyone recognized HIV was a serious issue, every group identified HIV as really being a problem for another demographic group," the statement says. "This is of great concern because the highest-risk groups do not identify themselves as being high-risk and thus increase their susceptibility to HIV through unsafe behavior and a lack of knowledge."

Recent research by the CDC shows that, despite long-touted estimates that a total of 40,000 people in the United States each year are newly infected with HIV, the actual number of yearly infections since the early 2000s has been closer to 56,500. (The Advocate)