The Third Annual Epidemiology Report on HIV/AIDS in DC was released Wednesday. However, the statement from the Mayor’s office paints a different picture than the numbers presented in the actual report. Mayor Fenty’s report highlighted the decreases in numbers and only mentioned one increase in the area of Chlamydia and gonorrhea. The epidemiology report however shows increases in people living with HIV. There was no discrepancy between the Mayor’s report and the one from the Department of Health but the viewpoint in which it was explained appears to be biased.
Mayor Fenty reported that there was a “first ever” decline in new AIDS cases and an increase in early treatment. The statement highlighted:
- The number of new AIDS cases declined 33 percent from 786 in 2004 to 525 in 2008.
- From 2004 to 2008, there was a 36 percent increase in the people entering HIV medical care within 3 months.
- From 2004 to 2007 there was a 30 percent decrease in DC residents dying with AIDS.
All of these are very important statistics that the city should exalt.
However, in the actual report, there are more statistics that suggests that there are still many concerns regarding the number of HIV cases in DC. The number of people living with HIV in DC has risen by one-third from 12,428 in 2006 to 16,513 in 2008. This important fact was not mentioned in the mayor’s report.
Whether the glass is half empty or half full, it is important that the message is clear. Fighting HIV in DC is still an uphill battle. Mayor Fenty, who is up for reelection, has been criticized for not addressing other factors that contribute to the soaring HIV rates such as affordable housing and unemployment. DC's Office of HIV/AIDS Administration has recently come under fire for lack of accountatbility with grant funds.
The full epidemiology report can be seen on DC’s Department of Health website.
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