Rate of AIDS
deaths declines in Massachusetts

The number of AIDS deaths continues to decline in Massachusetts, dropping from an all-time high of 981 in 1994 to 211 in 2004, the state health department said in a report released Tuesday. However, AIDS remains the fourth-leading cause of death among Hispanics and the eighth-leading cause of death among African-Americans, according to the report. Among white state residents, AIDS is the 27th-leading cause of death. (The Advocate)