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They compromise 14% of Florida's population, yet account for half the states AIDS cases.
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http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/F...EMPLATE=DEFAULT
State's AIDS fight begins in South Florida
By MARK LONG
Associated Press Writer
MIAMI (AP) -- The three counties in South Florida have more people living with HIV and AIDS than 45 of the nation's 50 states.
That's one reason the National HIV/AIDS Update Conference moved here after 14 years in Sa
Francisco. The conference kicked off its second year in Miami on Saturday hoping to raise awareness and the share information about the epidemic.
"This is a community that has been devastated b
y AI
DS," said Florida Department of Health HIV/AIDS Bureau Chief Tom Liberti.
n
More than 128,000 people in Florida are living with HIV or AIDS - about 35,000 more than in 2002.
The current number represents 10 percent of the national total and ranks third behind New York and California. The majority of the cases, about 58 percent, are in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties, Liberti said.
The biggest reason for the high number of cases in the area stems from its diverse cultures, minority populations and the transient nature of its residents, experts said.
"It's a very complex problem to deal with," conference chairman Dr. Mervyn Silverman said.
New AIDS cases in the United States have been cut by more than half since 1993, and Florida has fo
llowed the national trend. But the three counties have fared less well, now topping San Francisco in new per capita AIDS cases, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
<
br>M
iami-Dade ha
d more than 39,500 cases of AIDS or HIV as of Feb. 1. Broward had more than 21,900 cases, and Palm B
each had nearly 12,900.
African-Americans, Haitians and other people from Caribbean nations account for roughly half the cases in the state even though they comprise just 14 percent of Florida's population.
In San Francisco, well-educated gay men reacted aggressively to prevention and treatment programs. But in New York and Florida, the human immunodeficiency virus increasingly spread to the black and immigrant communities, where language, poverty and cultural differences have hindered anti-AIDS efforts.
Black women are the hardest hit, accounting for 72 percent of the HIV and AIDS cases among Florida's black population. That trend also has been seen worldwide, with a
higher percentage of women and teenage girls becoming infected.
"Most women are being infected by exposure to infected men," said Julie Gerberding, director of the Centers fo
r Diseas
e Control and Preve
ntion.
State Sen. Frederica Wilson, D-Miami, blamed part of the problem on Florida's inmate population. She believe
s inmates are being released from prison and infecting women in various communities.
"They get out of prison looking good, having pumped iron and found religion and they go join a church somewhere and start dating women," she said.
The state has about 70,000 inmates, and approximately 3,000 have AIDS or are HIV-positive, Liberti said.
Liberti hopes the conference will help the state expand education programs and testing, especially to high-risk communities.
Copyright 2004 Associated Press. All rights reserved.
They compromise 14% of Florida's population, yet account for half the states AIDS cases.
*******************************************************************
http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/F...EMPLATE=DEFAULT
State's AIDS fight begins in South Florida
By MARK LONG
Associated Press Writer
MIAMI (AP) -- The three counties in South Florida have more people living with HIV and AIDS than 45 of the nation's 50 states.
That's one reason the National HIV/AIDS Update Conference moved here after 14 years in Sa
Francisco. The conference kicked off its second year in Miami on Saturday hoping to raise awareness and the share information about the epidemic.
"This is a community that has been devastated b
y AI
DS," said Florida Department of Health HIV/AIDS Bureau Chief Tom Liberti.
n
More than 128,000 people in Florida are living with HIV or AIDS - about 35,000 more than in 2002.
The current number represents 10 percent of the national total and ranks third behind New York and California. The majority of the cases, about 58 percent, are in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties, Liberti said.
The biggest reason for the high number of cases in the area stems from its diverse cultures, minority populations and the transient nature of its residents, experts said.
"It's a very complex problem to deal with," conference chairman Dr. Mervyn Silverman said.
New AIDS cases in the United States have been cut by more than half since 1993, and Florida has fo
llowed the national trend. But the three counties have fared less well, now topping San Francisco in new per capita AIDS cases, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
<
br>M
iami-Dade ha
d more than 39,500 cases of AIDS or HIV as of Feb. 1. Broward had more than 21,900 cases, and Palm B
each had nearly 12,900.
African-Americans, Haitians and other people from Caribbean nations account for roughly half the cases in the state even though they comprise just 14 percent of Florida's population.
In San Francisco, well-educated gay men reacted aggressively to prevention and treatment programs. But in New York and Florida, the human immunodeficiency virus increasingly spread to the black and immigrant communities, where language, poverty and cultural differences have hindered anti-AIDS efforts.
Black women are the hardest hit, accounting for 72 percent of the HIV and AIDS cases among Florida's black population. That trend also has been seen worldwide, with a
higher percentage of women and teenage girls becoming infected.
"Most women are being infected by exposure to infected men," said Julie Gerberding, director of the Centers fo
r Diseas
e Control and Preve
ntion.
State Sen. Frederica Wilson, D-Miami, blamed part of the problem on Florida's inmate population. She believe
s inmates are being released from prison and infecting women in various communities.
"They get out of prison looking good, having pumped iron and found religion and they go join a church somewhere and start dating women," she said.
The state has about 70,000 inmates, and approximately 3,000 have AIDS or are HIV-positive, Liberti said.
Liberti hopes the conference will help the state expand education programs and testing, especially to high-risk communities.
Copyright 2004 Associated Press. All rights reserved.
h34r: :angry: 
