CITIZEN JOURNALISM:
For many Americans, the HIV/AIDS epidemic may be closer than they think. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported more than 1.1 million Americans as living with HIV in 2006, the latest estimates available, and the Whitman-Walker Clinic’s Web site states that someone younger than 25 is infected with HIV every 30 minutes. However, the newest development in HIV/AIDS awareness enables users to track the prevalence rates of HIV and AIDS in their own communities and across the nation.
Released in conjunction with National HIV Testing Day, the National HIV/AIDS Atlas is an online mapping tool that uses data from state and territorial health departments to show the prevalence of living with HIV/AIDS in specific counties.
“We need to put the fight against HIV/AIDS on the map,” said Patrick J. McGovern, president and chief executive officer of the Harlem United Community AIDS Center, in a statement released by the organization.
The Atlas depicts the intensity of the disease in a given area rather than the magnitude, enabling users to view HIV/AIDS statistics by age, gender and race/ethnicity, with the ability to compare state and county levels, the organizers demonstrated during a press conference last week. The National Minority Quality Forum (NMQF) and George Washington University developed the atlas to increase HIV testing in communities suffering from the disease and help the public better understand the reality of HIV/AIDS in the United States.
“We began this project with a desire to fill a fundamental gap in public access to HIV/AIDS information,” said Gary Puckrein, president and chief executive officer of the NMQF, in a statement released by the organization. “Mapping the disease made visible health-disparity zones around the country. It is an important step in increasing awareness and stemming the tide of the epidemic. Now that we can see more clearly where the problem is, we can improve data collection and analysis, prevention initiatives, early diagnosis and routine testing efforts in the hardest-hit communities.”
According to the Whitman-Walker Clinic’s Web site, the District has the highest rate of new AIDS cases per 100,000 people in the U.S. - 12 times the national average. Three percent of the District’s adult population has been formally diagnosed with HIV, and 81 percent of all AIDS cases in the District are among black residents.
Pernell Williams, community health manager for the Whitman-Walker Clinic, said the atlas will be a step forward in increasing awareness about HIV/AIDS, but counseling individuals about risk reduction is also an important step.
“A huge factor is what people do to get the virus. Having a map that shows incidence or prevalence is great,” Mr. Williams said. “However, a similar survey of risk behaviors of people who have HIV/AIDS in those areas must be the very next step and will help in targeting dollars to attack the problem. Risk-reduction counseling and activities must be tailored to each person’s needs.”
Local churches also have become involved with spreading awareness and knowledge about the disease: Many served as testing sites on National HIV Testing Day.
The Rev. Henry Gaston, president of the Missionary Baptist Ministers Conference of Washington and vicinity, detailed how many churches have established outreach and prevention programs to provide evidence-based education, information and referrals for individuals and families affected by the disease.
“The black church has been on board for a while now to help educate their members and the public about HIV/AIDS,” Mr. Gaston said.
Maryland has more than 34,000 cases of people living with HIV/AIDS. In Virginia, about 21,000 people - or one out of every 370 people - are reported to be living with HIV/AIDS, according to the Virginia Department of Health.
Nearly 30 years after scientists first recognized the disease, the launch of the HIV/AIDS Atlas offers a new and efficient way to look at the health of a population. In the future, NMQF hopes to link the maps to HIV prevention services, such as HIV testing sites, as well as examine how other chronic diseases coexist across geographical areas and racial and ethnic groups.
“It’s a window into the 21st century,” Mr. Puckrein said at the press conference last week. “Now that we can see more clearly where the problem is, we can improve surveillance, prevention initiatives, early diagnosis and routine testing efforts in the hardest-hit communities.”
• Jeri Washington is a writer living in the District.
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