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|  HIV/AIDS InformationTop Picks For Important A11958 Links
Page ContentsFar too many New Yorkers are being infected with HIV and dying of AIDS. We must do better.New York City remains the epicenter of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the U.S. More than 100,000 New Yorkers are living with HIV, but thousands don’t know they’re infected. New York City has the highest AIDS case rate in the country, with more AIDS cases than Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, and Washington DC combined. HIV is the 3rd leading cause of death below age 65 in New York City. HIV is also the health problem with the largest racial disparity; 80% of new AIDS diagnoses and deaths are among African Americans and Hispanics. Prevention, testing, and treatment programs are being expanded, but more must be done. Current public health laws create barriers to testingNew York City is implementing a comprehensive approach to improve prevention, diagnosis, treatment, case management, and epidemic control (Download the PDF
Current New York State laws on HIV were created more than 20 years ago. While there still is no cure for HIV, there is now effective treatment and much has changed in the way the disease is managed. It is critical that New York State laws be modernized to diagnose people earlier and facilitate linking them to effective care and treatment. Barriers create disparities in access to careApproximately 1 in 70 New Yorkers is infected with HIV, but the proportion of people in different groups who are infected varies widely:
The epidemic is increasingly affecting women, who now constitute a third of new AIDS cases – up from 1 in 10 at the start of the epidemic. More than 80% of new AIDS diagnoses and deaths are among African Americans and Hispanics. Black men in New York City are 6 times more likely to die of AIDS than white men; black women are 9 times more likely to die of AIDS than white women. Hispanic men and women are 4 times more likely to die of AIDS than white men and women. Legal change is needed to improve care of New Yorkers living with HIV/AIDSRestructure counseling and testing to make testing more accessible and focus provider efforts on care of those who test HIV-positive People who are unaware of their HIV infection cannot get effective care, are more likely to become severely ill and die sooner, and are more likely to infect others. In 2004, 1,038 New Yorkers first learned they had HIV when they were already sick with AIDS. They had been infected with HIV for 10 years on average, but were not tested despite multiple contacts with the health care and other systems. Early diagnosis allows patients to receive treatment and care earlier. This prevents hospitalizations, improves quality of life, and prolongs life. Testing can also reduce spread of HIV: HIV-positive people who know their status reduce risky behaviors by about half. By changing the process for obtaining patient consent for testing to documented oral consent rather than separate written consent, physicians will be more likely to incorporate testing into their regular medical routine and more people will know their HIV status. By allowing documented oral informed consent and simplifying pre-test counseling, providers will be able to offer testing to more patients and will have the flexibility to tailor the content and delivery of counseling to individual patient needs. Testing would be facilitated in many settings and among different populations, and more intensive counseling and services would be provided for those who test HIV-positive as well as for people at high-risk who are HIV-negative. All testing would remain completely voluntary, documented oral informed consent would be required, anonymous testing would continue to be available, and penalties for testing patients without consent would be strengthened. A new requirement would increase the proportion of HIV-positive patients entering care promptly by requiring those conducting HIV tests to offer linkage to HIV primary care. What will not changeNo mandatory HIV testing: all testing will remain completely voluntary with informed consent; anonymous testing will remain available. No mandatory HIV treatment: patients may choose to delay or refuse treatment. Patient confidentiality: patient information is protected. High quality services for people living with HIV/AIDS: services will be better coordinated; care and support will improve, including linkage of people who test positive for HIV to the care they want. Saving livesIf these changes are enacted, along with the comprehensive program being implemented, then within the next three years:
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This site contains HIV prevention messages that may not be appropriate for all audiences. Since HIV infection is spread primarily through sexual practices or by sharing needles, prevention messsages and programs may address these topics. If you are not seeking such information or may be offended by such materials, please exit this website. ConferencesThis site contains HIV prevention messages that may not be appropriate for all audiences. Since HIV infection is spread primarily through sexual practices or by sharing needles, prevention messsages and programs may address these topics. If you are not seeking such information or may be offended by such materials, please exit this website. | |
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