AIDS cases down in Manhattan

The New York Department of Health and Mental Hygiene reports that the number of newly diagnosed AIDS cases in Manhattan dropped by 17% in 2001--with 4,677 new cases being recorded in the borough, The New York Times reports. As recently as 1997, new AIDS diagnoses in Manhattan totaled 7,316 annually. African-Americans and Latinos made up 82% of the new AIDS cases reported. AIDS deaths also were down in 2001--with 1,774 deaths being reported, a 10% decrease from 2000 figures.