Private MD News

Nation's capital lowers HIV rate

Category: HIV

Thanks in part to enhanced STD testing initiatives, Washington, DC is making significant progress against high HIV infection rates, according to a new report. However, there is still significant room for improvement.

The nation's capital has one of the highest HIV infection rates of any city in the U.S. City officials have said battling the epidemic is one of the municipality's top priorities. However, there has been relatively little progress in recent years.

This trend was turned around recently. The report indicates that newly diagnosed cases of HIV dropped 24 percent between 2006 and 2010. Currently, the city's infection rate stands at 2.7 percent. Additionally, HIV-related deaths dropped during the study period by 72 percent.

However, not everyone in the city benefited equally from these gains. The report indicates that the infection rate among heterosexual women doubled during this time, climbing as high as 12.1 percent.

Mayor Vincent Gray said the number mark significant progress in the fight against high HIV rates. However, his administration plans to continue making this battle one of its top priorities.