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Disturbing Trend in AIDS Cases In US

by Jyothsna on Mar 1 2007 2:02 PM

At the 14th annual retrovirus conference in Los Angeles, it was reported that AIDS cases have been steadily increasing in the United States. According to Harold Jaffe, a professor of medicine at Oxford University in England, the AIDS epidemic has no signs of decreasing.

He also called for a new approach to handle the prevention of fresh infection of HIV cases. Jaffe emphasized on the scientific approach rather than moral and religious methods of combating this issue. According to him, the abstinence programme aimed at teenagers was a big fiasco.

On a comparative note he observed that AIDS cases in US are higher than that of UK or Europe. The reason for such a trend is still not known. Sex between men is turning out to be a matter of concern. As per a recent study 47% of gay population indulges in unprotected anal sex and 11% of them are totally unaware of the HIV status of their partner. Jaffe says that 50% of people who are affected with AIDS are the gay population in US.

On the positive side, there is a decline of AIDS cases among injecting drug users mainly due to the change in pharmacy laws in a few states and in behavior of the drug users. Secondly transfusion-borne infections have also come down drastically.

Source-Medindia
JYT


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