Question 2: What is the scope of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Louisiana?
The HIV/AIDS epidemic has affected persons in all sex,
age and racial/ethnic groups and all parishes in Louisiana. This effect, however, has not
been the same for all groups. In the beginning of the epidemic, the number of cases of HIV
infection increased most sharply among white MSM. Although white MSM are still
disproportionately affected by the epidemic, recent trends suggest a shift in the HIV/AIDS epidemic toward
women, blacks, and high-risk heterosexual adults. To plan for HIV prevention and care
and to allocate limited resources as the epidemic continues to change and the number of persons
living with HIV continues to grow, it is extremely important to identify those populations most
affected and most at risk for HIV infection.
Highlights
- There are persons living with HIV in every parish in Louisiana, and
the number continues to increase each year. At the end of 2001, a total of
13,565 persons were known to be living with HIV/AIDS in Louisiana, 6,236
(46%) of whom had a diagnosis of AIDS.
- In 2001, as in past years, the Baton Rouge region surpassed the New
Orleans region in the rates of diagnosis of HIV/AIDS (number of cases per
population in the region). However, the New Orleans region had the highest
number of HIV/AIDS cases diagnosed that year.
- Since 1996, the number of new AIDS cases and deaths of persons with
AIDS has decreased dramatically, coinciding with the widespread use of
antiretroviral therapy. However, data from recent years indicate a leveling
or a reversal of these declines, which may be due to factors such as late
testing; limited access to, or use of, health services; and the limitations
of current therapies.
- The HIV diagnosis rate for blacks continues to be disproportionately
high and, in 2001, was more than 6 times higher than that for whites. In
2001, 74% of newly diagnosed HIV cases and 75% of newly diagnosed AIDS cases
were in the black population.
- Among blacks, heterosexual contact has been the predominant mode of
exposure since 1996. Among whites, the predominant exposure remains
male-male sexual activity, although the number of cases among MSM has
declined substantially since 1993.
- For all racial groups in Louisiana, the proportion of newly diagnosed
HIV/AIDS cases reported among women has increased steadily since the
beginning of the epidemic; women represented 36% of new HIV/AIDS cases in
2001. Although HIV/AIDS rates for men have been declining since 1993, rates
for black women have remained relatively stable. Rates for white women have
also been stable, but they increased slightly from 2000 to 2001.
- Because of screening programs for pregnant women and the increased use
of antiretroviral therapy in pregnant women and their infants, perinatal
transmission rates have dropped dramatically, from more than 25% in 1993 to
5% in 2000. However, despite the low transmission rates, the number of
HIV-infected infants may continue to increase as the number of infants born
to HIV-infected mothers increases because growing numbers of women are
living with HIV.
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This section provides detailed information about demographic and risk
characteristics of HIV-infected persons and trends in the statewide
epidemic. It describes cases diagnosed through 2001 and reported through
May 2002. The regional epidemiologic profiles provide a more detailed
description of the epidemic in each public health region. Unless noted,
all data come from Louisiana’s HIV/AIDS Surveillance Program.
Go to Overall HIV/AIDS Trends |
