Study: 15 cities account for half of U.S. AIDS cases

An analysis of the AIDS pandemic on U.S. urban centers conducted by the National Youth Advocacy Coalition shows that half of the more than 800,000 reported AIDS cases between 1986 and 2001 were located in 15 cities. New York City is home to the highest number of AIDS cases, with more than 126,000 reported during the study window. Washington, D.C., has the highest HIV prevalence rate, with 152.1 cases per 100,000 people, more than double the prevalence rate of any other U.S. city. The cities with the highest number of reported AIDS cases, in order, are: New York; Los Angeles; San Francisco; Miami; Washington; Chicago; Philadelphia; Houston; Atlanta; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Baltimore; Boston; Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.; Dallas; and Newark, N.J. Craig Bowman, NYAC executive director, said the analysis also shows that HIV infection rates in these urban areas are rising, indicating that continued HIV prevention work is needed, particularly among such at-risk groups as young people, minorities, and men who have sex with men. "It needs to be dramatic," Bowman told Echo Magazine. "It requires us to approach young people with the facts about their risk for HIV--and other sexually transmitted infections--and the steps they can take to prevent infection if they are sexually active. We must speak candidly about risk reduction, particularly the use of condoms, and teach comprehensive sexuality education, which includes a discussion of abstinence but does not rely on it exclusively."