HIV continues to affect mostly white gay men in San Francisco

New data released by San Francisco health officials show that white gay men still account for the majority of new HIV infections reported in the city, according to the Bay Area Reporter. Based on HIV infection data reported in the city between July 2002 and February 2004, whites accounted for 53% of all new HIV diagnoses. African-Americans accounted for 19% of new diagnoses, while Latinos accounted for 15%. Other minority groups accounted for 9% of new diagnoses, while transgendered city residents made up 4% of new diagnoses. The city recorded 4,971 new HIV cases during the reporting period, but 4,168 were existing cases that had been diagnosed in the past but not reported to city health officials. There were 803 new HIV infections recorded during the 19-month reporting period in the city, for an average of about 507 per year or nearly 1.4 per day. Data on AIDS cases shows that men who have sex with men account for 72% of the city's residents with AIDS, while injection-drug users account for 12%.