HIV/AIDS Rate in the US Capital Surpasses Several African Nations

Most Americans think of HIV/AIDS as a challenge for other nations around the world, not the United States.   The alarming fact is that 3.2% of all adults ages 15 to 49 in Washington, DC are HIV positive.

 If the US capital were a nation in Africa it would rank 23^rd out of 54 countries in percentage of people with HIV.

Here are a few comparisons:

While great strides are being made in reducing the number of people with HIV/AIDS globally, the US must also focus on our own HIV/AIDS epidemic which includes more than 1.1 million people living with HIV, and 50,000 new infections each year.

An estimated 1 in 6 people living with HIV in the US do not know they are infected, and about 1 in 4 new HIV infections are among youth ages 13-24.   Expanded “Know Your Status” campaigns are critical to getting people into life-saving care and treatment, and helping to reduce the US epidemic.

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Data from:   UNAIDS, US Centers for Disease Control, PBS News hour