New Study Calls HIV Rate in Poor Urban Areas an Epidemic
A new government study calls the rate of HIV infections in parts of cities like Philadelphia an "epidemic" but a local AIDS services organization says that's not news to them.
KYW's Ian Bush reports The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analysis finds more than two percent of heterosexuals in poor urban areas have the virus that causes AIDS. Anything over one percent qualifies as a generalized epidemic, according to the United Nations Joint Program on HIV/AIDS.
"It's caused by poverty and despair." Jane Shull, director of Philadelphia FIGHT, says homelessness, jail time, and drug and alcohol abuse contribute to the problem: "You don't really see much chance for yourself in life, and so the immediate enjoyment of the drug or the unsafe sex just ends up taking precedence."
Along with continued outreach to more traditional high-risk groups, such as gay men and injection drug users, Shull says preventing new infections in those who live in inner cities and providing earlier treatment to those who do become infected should be a priority.
