NEW HIV-AIDS CASES DIP IN VA.

6,000 May Not Know They're Infected, Studies Say

RICHMOND -- Almost 19,000 people in Virginia are known to be living
with HIV or AIDS and an additional 6,000 might not know they are
infected, according to new state studies.

Newly diagnosed cases of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, and AIDS
decreased from almost 1,600 in 1997 to just less than 1,200 in 2006
in the state, according to the Virginia Department of Health. The
number of people with HIV and AIDS has steadily increased in Virginia
because people are living longer with improved drugs and more access
to health care.

In general, more cases are reported in the more populated, urban
areas of the state, though the smaller number of infected people in
rural areas might have more trouble finding resources, said Kathy
Hafford, acting director for the Health Department's Division of
Disease Prevention. The pair of reports, prepared by the department
and the Virginia HIV Community Planning Committee, was released to
coincide with World AIDS Day, which was Saturday. Observed for the
20th year, World AIDS Day is designed to increase awareness, fight
prejudice and boost education.

"The plan and profile are useful for planners at both the state and
local levels," said Elaine Martin, director of community services in
the health department's division of disease prevention. "They provide
city and county governments, community organizations, health-care
planners and educators with current data they can use to create
effective prevention and care plans to protect the people in their localities."

The rate of Virginians living with HIV or AIDS was 351 per 100,000
men and 125 per 100,000 women at the end of 2006, according to the
studies. Of those infected at that time, 62 percent were black, 31
percent white and 6 percent Hispanic. The reports don't break down
the numbers by county.

The statistics indicate that Virginia, where 18,587 have reported
having HIV or AIDS in Virginia, is in line with other states. The
national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that
about 25 percent more have not been tested and do not know they are
infected. About a million people in the United States are living with
HIV and AIDS. The CDC has previously reported that 40,000 new cases
are reported each year but said recently that it will soon be
revising that number to about 60,000.

The United Nations reports that 33 million people are living with HIV
and AIDS worldwide, with about 2.5 million new cases reported this year.

The reports, conducted in Virginia every three years, provide
information for health-care providers and others to help prioritize
resources for prevention.

"Our community partners contributed real-life perspectives that
helped us develop a thorough understanding of the populations at
risk," Martin said. "That enhanced the efforts to identify unmet
needs, research initiatives and effective prevention measures."

The authors recommend more money for needle exchange programs,
collaborating with methamphetamine programs and using Spanish
speakers to reach the Latino population.

"We never have enough have enough money to do all the prevention we
can," Hafford said.

Last week, Eastern Virginia Medical School announced that it had
received a $28.5 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation to help develop a topical gel that can prevent sexual
transmission of HIV. The Contraceptive Research and Development
(CONRAD) Program conducts worldwide research on reproductive health,
including the prevention of AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases.