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At least 3% of the population of Washington DC is infected with the HIV virus according to a new report by DC health officials.  The study found that an astounding 10% of adults between the ages of 40 & 49 are infected with the virus as well as 7% of African-American males, the highest rates in the respective subsets of data.

Putting this in perspective, Sharon L. Hader, director of DC’s HIV/AIDS Administration told The Washington Post, “Our rates are higher than West Africa.  They’re on par with Uganda and some parts of Kenya.”

These numbers are shocking.  But when one looks at the bipolar state of affairs in the nation’s capital, they really shouldn’t be.  For one Washington DC is a Tale of Two Cities and has been for a long time now.  Northwest DC is primarily the home to middle to upper class residents who enjoy quality health insurance and staff or service our Federal government in decent paying jobs.  The rest of the city is tragically impoverished however, and is home to a large African-American community with limited access to health care.  The city also suffers from high rates of intravenous drug use which drive up HIV infection rates even further.

HIV infection rates like this cannot be allowed to stand in Washington DC, or any community in our nation, any longer.  You can takepart in fighting HIV/AIDS, a disease that affects people from all backgrounds, genders and sexual orientations, by supporting Gay Men’s Health Crisis.

LINKS:

Ghanaian Chronicle: HIV/AIDS Rate Now 3% in the USA

MSNBC: HIV/AIDS rates in DC “Higher than West Africa”

ABC News: AIDS rate soars in nation’s capital