56,000 infected with Aids each year in US
Published: Sunday, 3 August, 2008, 12:40 AM Doha Time
WASHINGTON: At least 56,000 people become infected with the Aids virus every year in the US - 40% more than previous estimates, according to a report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC stressed that actual infection rates have not risen but said better methods of measuring new diagnosed infections and then extrapolating this to the general population led to the fresh estimates.
“CDC’s first estimates from this system reveal that the HIV epidemic is - and has been - worse than previously known. Results indicate that approximately 56,300 new HIV infections occurred in the US in 2006,” the CDC said in a statement.
“This figure is roughly 40% higher than CDC’s former estimate of 40,000 infections per year, which was based on limited data and less precise methods.”
Globally, 33mn people are infected with the human immunodeficiency virus that causes Aids and 2mn die of it each year.
The CDC estimates roughly 1mn Americans are infected with the virus. Dr Kevin Fenton, who heads CDC’s Aids branch, said 15,000 to 18,000 Americans die every year of Aids.
“The data really confirm that there is a severe impact of this epidemic among gay and bisexual men in the US ... as well as black men and women,” Fenton said in a telephone interview.
More than 28,000 of the new infections are among men who have sex with men, the new estimates show. Close to 17,000 are among heterosexuals - and 15,000 of these are women.
“These data are confirming what we had known before,” Fenton said. “It also mirrors what we see about sexually transmitted diseases and changes in risk behavior among men who have sex with men.”
Many recent studies have shown gay and bisexual men are having risky, unprotected sex more often than before, perhaps emboldened by the knowledge that the disease can be treated.
But Aids remains incurable and is fatal if not treated. There is no vaccine and the drugs stop working if people do not take them precisely as directed.
The numbers, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, also confirm that black Americans are seven times more likely to be infected than whites.
“The reality is that it is a wake-up call for all of us,” Fenton said. “There are things that you and I can do to stop the disease - encourage others to use condoms consistently and correctly, abstain from sex.”
Aids spreads rampantly in prisons, he added.
Communities need to provide better education and testing services, Fenton said.
Fears of being stigmatized have stopped people from being tested - 25% of those infected do not know it and can pass along the virus.
But there was some comfort in the numbers.
“It is important to note that the new estimate does not represent an actual increase in the annual number of new HIV infections,” CDC said.–Reuters
Source: Gulf-times.com
Dmighty is right that the only 'safe' se x is totally monogamous se x.
Then there is 'safer se x', which is less risky, but still involves potential exposure to infections.
Then there is every other sexual activity, which will necessarily involve risk.
The trouble is that all these nice religious boys and girls tell their partner that yes, they are a virgin, and of course they haven't been with anyone else, and they then think that everything is nice and safe.
Sure... perfect world sort of stuff.
But with so many girls here playing around before marriage and then getting their hymen stitched back up, and the boys darting over to Bahrain for a weekend of fun with the boys and girls... they are each as bad as one another.
They don't know what diseases they have, they are too proud (or stupid) to go the doctor and have a medical check, and then they have unprotected sex with their husband/wife... no wonder the locals are as sick as dogs.
dmigtysolomon, thats very sweet but please wake up to the real world. A lot of people engage in pre-marital sex. Whether its right or wrong is neither here nor there. Thats reality.
"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek." Barack Obama
You can't teach experience
only to one person. No pre-marital sex to whoever. No extra marital sex to whoever. Hard to follow but that's reality. Any deviation is unsafe sex whether with condom or non. Add to it the conscience of knowing you are cheating (only to those married people who can not stop their desire to "taste" other menu).
"dgoodrebel will always be the rebellious good one"
The awareness of HIV (and other STDs) here in Qatar, both amongst nationals and ex-pats, is astoundingly low.
There's a huge group of people who don't know what the different diseases are, how they are spread, or how to minimize the risks of catching them.
Western kids get taught about condoms from a young age in high school, the kids here don't know what they are, what they are for, or even how to put them on properly (yes, there is a right and a wrong way to put on a condom).
Then there are the people who know what the diseses are but seem to believe that it will never happen to them. I know a lot of Qatari guys like this who sleep with anything that moves - boy, girl, old, young, whatever, they have unsafe se x with everyone who looks at them twice.
The worst thing about this is that the government here is determined to cover up the true rate of HIV amongst the local population, so there a lot of guys carrying a lot of diseases receiving no treatment and then spreading it around the local population.
The idea that only westerners engage in this sort of behaviour makes this worse, as though only westners get these diseases because they are all promiscous. The truth, as it is revealed in the attached article, is actually that educated 'white' people are at a much lower risk because they engage in lower risk behaviours.
What you are suggesting would be impossible to implement..
Legalized brothels , in places like Holland and Germany carry out regular health checks on their girls.
As far as "one night stands" are concerned, they will always go on.
Most of us are aware of the curse of AIDS and its effects on society. It is up to us as individuals to take precaustions and practice safe sex..
Speed, we have been talking about nothing but that.
First of all some of my age mates here in this country dont even know what HIV/AIDS is. So I mean the basics aren't even covered. The problem here is censorship. They should open the subject up for discussion. Not just in public but in the homes. Parents all over the world should stop thinking that it is the responsibility of teachers and the peers of their children to teach them about safe sex and take the responsibility themselves.
"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek." Barack Obama
why and how this Aids thing is spreading ... what are the roots ?
My main purpose of creating this thread is 'AWARENESS' and discussion on how to control this deadly disease !
lets forget about other countries .... lets see in our own place where we live. How many places one can visit and have sex (with prostitutes) or even meeting in bars and getting drunk and morning one find in the bed not knowing other person and who knows that who is infected with Aids?
I believe that these Governments should shutdown so called these 'Sex Industries' which is considered as legal in many Countries and I believe these are the places from where the Aids is born and spreading to others...
I remember one true story which happened in UAE in 1999, one girl got married and when her time came for delivery came doctors found that she was infected with Aids .. upon investigating it was found the husband was carrying Aids and he admitted that he used to go to bars and slept with few girls from whom he got infected...
Now this innocent girl is in Hospital jail for life with her new born ! Since then UAE implemented a law that any local men and women getting married they should undergo medical examination before marriage to avoid such incident but that was not the solution since after marriage still the man can visit those bars or whore houses which are happening in reality !
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Aids is here to stay.. Even in the West, with all the education and information, people have become blase about Aids and its consequences..
AIDS destroys, not just individuals, but whole families..
gThere is an epidemic of AIDS engulfing much of Africa, especially sub-Saharan Africa. In some African countries, especially Sub-Saharan, it is estimated that 40% of the working-age population has contracted HIV.
This is affecting the demographics, since many AIDS sufferers are young adults.
Pringles....lol
They better eat pringles with rubber (Gloves) on...lol
Oryx, true but the resources that are supposed to go towards family planning etc are being directed to the private accounts of politicians. Hmmm, the Catholic Church does have some influence but not really that much. Haha my Dad is a staunch Catholic but trust me he was pinning posters of safe sex all over our house (I would have prefered oil paintings).
Glad you enjoyed yourself there!! :)
And yes dmigtysolomon, this thread was about the US...always ends up in Africa because thats where the media's spotlight is.
"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek." Barack Obama
eerr rami-leb I've just seen your comment, if she was happy for him not to wear a condom she doesn't deserve to have kids......are you aware of the facts of life? Like eerrr in order to have kids wearing a condom isn't the right way to go....
AIDS will never be eradicated, humans are just too damn stupid.....
They will die of starvation and their babies will before aids kills them-----
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such a difficult choice indeed....
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buy nintendo wii system
you are talking about Africa when the thread is about USA. And the article carried already some explanations regarding their findings. It is so obvious that the American ways and means in treating the over-all meaning of "s*x" and relationship will continue to contribute to these statistics (generalize by .... as foolish people who don't practice safe sex, mind you that's 56000 people in US alone).
The backfiring of issues such as encouragement of use of condom encourage promiscuity and condom is not really that 100 % safe.
"dgoodrebel will always be the rebellious good one"
poverty is either the result of too many people for too few resources or unequal distribution of both.
I strongly believe in family planning...
Government policy all over the world fails to address this..The Catholic church has a lot to answer for including Kenya where it actively discourages the use of condomns....
On a lighter note: I loved Kenya... :)
I agree Oryx, and poverty the direct result of corruption...its a vicious cycle.
"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek." Barack Obama
Botswana has done a good job with Aids education... I saw bill boards in Rwanda too. In Mozambique they have used radio a lot.
But it still isn't enough... I travelled down the 'Aids highway' from Rwanda thru Uganda to Nairobi last year... so sad...
Girls have to have sex with/without protection and 'service' the truck drivers...because they need the money.
They will die of starvation and their babies will before aids kills them if they dont
Extreme poverty does not allow for long term planning its about surviving today.
So the root causes need tackling...AIDS is a symptom of poverty.
It's a tough one, Fatcat.
I'm not sure how you can call anyone who believes that they don't need to wear a condom 'educated'.
They are 'educated' in the literal sense (they can read, write, they may even be university graduates) but then they have been convinced by some high ranking person that bareback sex is fine.
I would have to say that anyone who can disregard such a huge volume of scientifically proven facts about the transmission of a virus and instead take the word of some 'leader' who says otherwise is a naive fool, and isn't really 'educated' at all.
Fatcat you're right, a whole President disputed that HIV causes AIDS.
There are quite a few goverments that do promote safe sex and I am proud that mine is one of them. I think the places that are difficult to reach are the rural areas where the people's cultural beliefs take precedence. Thats why only an action plan sensitized to the grassroot level can work. Otherwise the country folk feel threatened that their customs are being eroded.
"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek." Barack Obama
I know you're joking, Mr Paul, but ladies have to give their consent to engage in unprotected intercourse too.
It's not just up to the guy to decide whether or not he's going to wear a condom.
If people engage in such unsafe behaviour, I'm sorry to say, but they deserve all that they get (catch).
I don't want to hear any more females whinging and whining that they can't have a baby because their boyfriend gave them chlamydia, or syphilus, or whatever.
If she was happy for him not to wear a condom, she deserves not to have any kids.
In my opinion the problem in Africa has a lot less to do with education than it has to do with politics.
You get lots of highly educated people in Africa who still think it's ok not to wear a condom. The governments do not promote safe sex and educate their people on how to avoid getting Aids. It is tabboo!
And even worse, there are some very important politicians in Africa (in SA more specifically) who do not believe Aids exist.
UkEngQatar...you're welcome... :)
"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek." Barack Obama
Boy, am i gonna cop a load of flak now from the QL women...
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NIL ILLEGITIMI CARBORUNDUM
Dont be sorry D cup. The reason I say that is if you go to Kenya say there are commercials EVERYYYYYYYYYWHERE, I mean the whole protect yourself is in your face til its just a part of everyone's life...including primary school kids'. But you hardly see it advertised in atleast the Western countries Iv visited, MTV yes but where else? I may be wrong though.
"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek." Barack Obama
I agree Britexpat, young kids today have a 'it can't happen to me' approach to sex. Look at all the Qataris who bring back more than just souveniors from Thailand. The incidence of HIV amongst Qataris is quite dramatic, but of course goes unreported.
A Qatari friend of mine, at the age of 23, was asking me what condoms are for, and why should you wear them.
Girls too have a lot to answer for when it comes to spreading STDs. They think that because they are on the pill, and therefore won't get pregnant, they have nothing to worry about. Now there are huge outbreaks of syphilis, chlamydia, warts, and all sorts of other nasty STDs spreading around. Any wonder they can't fall pregnant in later life.
"Like I said there is lack of awareness of the gravity of the disease in the Western world."
Not true,there has been allsorts of campaigns since Aids was discovered, explaining the dangers.
Just some stupid people choose to ignore these dangers and put themselves and others at risk.
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NIL ILLEGITIMI CARBORUNDUM
I think whatever your sexual preference, you are at risk, period. What I am saying is that these are some of the theories that are circulating regarding the pandemic that differ from the usual theories.
I dont think anyone who has been educated on the transmission of this disease would make the argument that "It is naive to think that having gay s ex is what gives you HIV, or that having heterosexual s ex will keep you safe from the disease". Like I said there is lack of awareness of the gravity of the disease in the Western world.
"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek." Barack Obama
Brit, you'll always be one of my fav QLers...dont worry bout it.
"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek." Barack Obama
Well it is so easy to pick on Africa..Nicely informed Labada..
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HE WHO DARES WINS
You are right, I was a "fool" to geenralize. Theer was no intention to turn it into a race war.. As I said , I was going by what i had experienced..
One theory regarding Aids and education is that after the doom mongering of the 80's, many people realized that the infection rates were not as bad as originally stated and started relaxing with refard to protection and safe sex.
The issue isn't that they are engaging in homosexual intercourse, it is that they are having unprotected intercourse.
Clearly a lot of gay people are playing around and not getting infected, and a lot of straight people are playing around and they are getting infected.
It is naive to think that having gay s ex is what gives you HIV, or that having heterosexual s ex will keep you safe from the disease.
There is a theory that because a lot of the male black population is behind bars, they contract the disease there and then bring it home to their wives/girlfriends (whether through drugs or sex I dont know). I have also read that quite a number of married black men are bisexual and unbeknownst to their wives are also having it off with men. I think awareness is being increased in the States now and people are being encouraged to get tested for the disease and know their status. I know its such an over used phrase but knowledge really is power and does save lives as far as HIV/AIDS is concerned.
"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek." Barack Obama
This article is a bit of a beat up and is very misleading as far as trends are concerned. Try this article for a clearer picture of the situation:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/02/AR2008080201356.html?sid=ST2008080300152&pos=
Two facts omitted from the Gulf Times article:
"These data corroborate what many of us suspected -- that the epidemic is worse than we thought. **However, it doesn't seem to be getting worse,"** said Jennifer Kates, director of HIV policy at the Kaiser Family Foundation in Washington.
And
The CDC spends about $750 million a year on AIDS prevention. The main finding of its report is that HIV incidence in 2006 -- the latest year for which data are available -- was 56,300 new cases of infection. That is 40 percent higher than the previous government estimate of 40,000, **but statistical back calculation suggests that HIV incidence has been unchanged since about 2000.**
While promiscuity is a factor in the spread of the disease, it isn't really the amount of partners people have that is the problem, it is the risky, unprotected intercourse that puts them at most risk. This is an education related issue. It is also disturbing that the rate of infection is 7 times higher amongst the black population and 3 times higher in hispanics than in whites.
The statistics also shatter the myth that HIV is a 'gay' disease, with only 53% of infections occuring as a result of homosexual intercourse. Even allowing for new infections via shared needles, this means that roughly half of infections are occurring through heterosexual intercourse.
Speed I agree with ya 100%. The real problem in Africa is corruption, its the decay that continues to steal people's lives.
"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek." Barack Obama
I do not want to turn this into a war against races because I believe you and I and other QLers are above all that cr*p. You have the right to your opinion, but please in future do not generalise...thats too easy a thing to do. You're statement is a flare up, anyone can come up with that. If you look as to why this is happening, because fact is IT IS it would be more of a learning experience than the easy "because they are more promiscuous". Any ol fool can say that. You, Brit are not a fool. Well I hope not anyway :)
"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek." Barack Obama
you are right ,,,, but I must say that Africa is rich in natural resources if they get the chance or correct technology to use, they can lead the world just like India and China :-)
Only thing lacking in Africa is Education... i wish African Governments build more schools and educated their young generation..
As to Aids ... i was bit surprised with the figures in developing countries specially USA where the literacy is on the peak and they claim to be most advanced country in the world but sorry to say they seems to be powerless in combating Aids in their own country but why ?
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Sorry, I did not mean to offend.. it was just a personal opinion from my own experiences in the various places I have lived or worked.
"I" always found black guys to be a lot more se*ually active and willing to frequently change partners than others.
Oh hell no Brit, you did not just say that???! Blacks are more promiscous? Please elaborate...
"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek." Barack Obama
It says that "At least 56,000 people become infected with the Aids virus every year in the US - 40% more than previous estimates" and then at the end says "It is important to note that the new estimate does not represent an actual increase in the annual number of new HIV infections,”
As far as the figures are concerned, yes, there is a higher rate amongst gays and blacks, but I believe that this has always been the case.. They are more promiscuous..
i hv to agree with your labda, often we focused more into africa and forget whats going in our home.
Everybody is right everybody is wrong, it depend where you stand
Speed...Africa is mostly illiterate and poor Country as compare to developing Countries - ouch that hurt, but I guess its the truth.
Have you noticed in lot of the developed countries there's hardly any awareness going on regarding HIV/AIDS...everyone's so focused on Africa they're forgetting whats happening in their own backyards. Luckily for them though, their governments can afford the ARVs.
"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek." Barack Obama
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cos they do the casual sex like eating pringles. sorry this is just an expression.
Everybody is right everybody is wrong, it depend where you stand
Africa is mostly illiterate and poor Country as compare to developing Countries !
Also something very interesting here in this article:
“The data really confirm that there is a severe impact of this epidemic among gay and bisexual men in the US ... as well as black men and women,” Fenton said in a telephone interview.
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more people die because AIDS each year too Pa Ji. Take a look at Africa. let alone the America.
Everybody is right everybody is wrong, it depend where you stand
56,000/- cases each year ??
Isn't this scary ....
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