Petrelis Files

(Chart of HIV cases by race and year for Florida, from the latest annual epi report, page 8.)

FL DoH: Black HIV Fell 31% From 1998 to 2007

The Sunshine State's latest HIV stats from the Department of Health show some apparently declining rates of infections, at least for blacks, gays and the men who have sex with men populations.

The caption for the above chart explains that from 1998 through 2007, black HIV stats fell by 31% and that is probably because of targeted HIV prevention for blacks, while the white HIV increases may be due to increases of HIV in white and Latino gays.

However, the 2007 DoH report on HIV/AIDS and gays shows a slight dip in white and Latino HIV rates.

(The chart above can be found on page 9 of the DoH gay and HIV report, where there is a brief explanation of the numbers.)

Florida's breakdown of all male HIV stats by race reveal downward slopes for black and white categories, and a flattening for Latino figures.

(This chart can be found in the gay HIV summary, on page 8.)

And finally, the Florida numbers for combined HIV and full-blown AIDS numbers, paint a dramatic decline for black women, while the rates for white and Latin women are very stable.

(The chart above is from the recent DoH special report on women and HIV/AIDS, and can be found on page 7.)

Florida, by the way, is ranked at number three for states most affected by HIV/AIDS, and if the state's HIV stats are continuing to fall, as are the figures for San Francisco and New York City, then some press and gay community attention, beyond this blog, is called for. Three major, widely-separated American regions are showing HIV declines and so far, there's been no discussion why the drop have occurred, how to keep the stats going down, and are any other cities or states experiencing similar HIV decreases. When does the discussion about these developments begin?