PLoS ONE: Epidemiology of HIV Infection in Large Urban Areas in the United States

New Study on the Epidemiology of HIV in Major Urban Areas Shows Epidemic Remains Concentrated in Gay Men

In an article published September 15 in PLoS One, authors from CDC’s Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention (DHAP), the Chicago Department of Public Health, and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health used national HIV surveillance data for 12 metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) with the greatest HIV burden to determine disparities in HIV diagnoses and prevalence. In 7 of the 12 MSAs, more than 50% of HIV diagnoses in 2007 were attributed to male-to-male sexual contact. In each MSA, prevalence was >1% among blacks; and prevalence among blacks was >2% in Miami, New York, and Baltimore. Among Hispanics, prevalence was >1% in New York and Philadelphia. Prevalence generally was even higher in cities within MSAs, with HIV prevalence among whites above 1% in Washington, DC, and above 2% in San Francisco. Although heterosexual transmission surpassed or equaled male-to-male sexual transmission in Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC, in several MSAs—including Baltimore and Washington, DC—AIDS diagnoses in recent years have increased among men who have sex with men.

This article is the first report using national surveillance data to describe the epidemic of HIV in urban areas. These data are useful for identifying local drivers of the epidemic and for tailoring public health efforts for treatment and prevention services for persons living with HIV.

Read the article (full-text):
PLoS ONE: Epidemiology of HIV Infection in Large Urban Areas in the United States