How
do I find out if I have HIV?
Take an
HIV test. This is a very personal and smart decision. One of the
best ways to stay healthy and prevent the spread of HIV is to get tested
regularly and encourage your friends to do the same. The test should be taken
three to six months after the last time you may have been at risk. Since you
can be infected with HIV and look well and feel healthy for years, the only way
to know for sure if you are infected is by taking the HIV antibody test.
Contact
the GMHC helpline for support and to
learn where to get tested – you are not alone.
Why is it important to know my status?
The
earlier you become aware of an HIV-positive diagnosis, the easier it will be to
take control of your own health, and to prevent others from becoming infected.
Because there are many new drugs and treatments available, people are living
longer and healthier lives with HIV/AIDS.
Visit
these resources to learn more:
GMHC (HIV/AIDS basics)
Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention
Office
of National AIDS Policy
U.S.
Department of Health & Human Services
In The World
HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, has become one of the
world’s most serious health and development challenges:
• 33.4 million are currently living with HIV/AIDS.
• More than 25 million people have died of AIDS worldwide
since the first cases were reported in 1981.
• In 2008, 2 million people died due to HIV/AIDS, and
another 2.7 million were newly infected.
• While cases have been reported in all regions of the
world, almost all those living with HIV (97%) reside in low- and middle-income
countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.
• According to the World Health Organization (WHO), most
people living with HIV or at risk for HIV do not have access to prevention,
care, and treatment, and there is still no cure.
• The HIV epidemic not only affects the health of
individuals, it impacts households, communities, and the development and
economic growth of nations. Many of the countries hardest hit by HIV also
suffer from other infectious diseases, food insecurity, and other serious
problems.
Despite these challenges, there have been successes and
promising signs. New global efforts have been mounted to address the epidemic,
particularly in the last decade. Prevention has helped to reduce HIV prevalence
rates in a small but growing number of countries and new HIV infections are
believed to be on the decline. In addition, the number of people with HIV
receiving treatment in resource poor countries has increased 10-fold since
2002, reaching an estimated 4 million by 2008.
In The United States
•
More than 1.1 million people in the United States are
living with HIV infection, and
almost 1 in 6 (15.8%) are unaware of their infection.
•
Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSMa), particularly young black/African
American MSM, are most seriously affected by HIV.
•
By race, blacks/African Americans face the most severe
burden of HIV.
CDC estimates that 1,144,500 persons aged 13 years and
older are living with HIV infection, including 180,900 (15.8%) who are unaware
of their infection1. Over the past
decade, the number of people living with HIV has increased, while the annual
number of new HIV infections has remained relatively stable. Still, the pace of
new infections continues at far too high a level— particularly among certain
groups.
HIV Incidence (new infections): The estimated
incidence of HIV has remained stable overall in recent years, at about 50,000
new HIV infections per year2. Within the
overall estimates, however, some groups are affected more than others. MSM
continue to bear the greatest burden of HIV infection, and among
races/ethnicities, African Americans continue to be disproportionately
affected.
HIV Diagnoses (new diagnoses, regardless of when
infection occurred): In 2011, an estimated 49,273 people were diagnosed with
HIV infection in the United States. In that same year, an estimated 32,052
people were diagnosed with AIDS. Overall, an estimated 1,155,792 people in the
United States have been diagnosed with AIDS3.
Deaths: An estimated 15,529 people with an
AIDS diagnosis died in 2010, and approximately 636,000 people in the United
States with an AIDS diagnosis have overall3.
The deaths of persons with an AIDS diagnosis can be due to any cause—that is,
the death may or may not be related to AIDS.
IN NEW
YORK
Approximately 129,000 people are diagnosed with HIV/AIDS
in New York State. Almost 80% live in New York City.⁵
1 in 5 people who are HIV + do not know their
status.⁵
Almost 4,000 New Yorkers will be infected with HIV this year.⁵
New York leads the nation in the number of new HIV
cases.¹
In the first half of 2011, one-third of new HIV/AIDS
diagnoses among males in New York City were in young men aged 20-29.⁴
93% of new HIV/AIDS diagnoses among females in New York
City were in black or Hispanic women in the first half of 2011.⁴
77% of people living with HIV in New York are over
forty. 42% of positive New Yorkers are over fifty.⁵
In 2010 nearly 1700 people in New York City died from
AIDS-related causes.⁴
To date, over 100,000 New Yorkers have died from
AIDS-related causes.⁵
In New Jersey
As of December 31,2012
there were 36,648 people living with an H.I.V./A.I.D.S. Diagnosis
Hudson County-
During the period of 2008
– 2011, there were new diagnosis of H.I.V, Compounded with previous years by
the year 2010 there were 5,241 people living with an H.I.V. infection
diagnosis.
