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Since the epidemic began in the early 1980's, over 500,000 Americans have had AIDS. The real toll of the AIDS crisis, however, is far larger than this -- along with patients, it includes friends, parents, children, lovers, volunteers, and health professionals. The impact of AIDS is shifting, however. Here is information on the new face of the epidemic and the people who fight it.
Who is getting infected these days? The new face of AIDS is much younger than you may think. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), one quarter of new HIV cases in the United States are adolescents. One-half of all new cases are among people under 25. Dr. Larry D'Angelo of the Burgess Clinic at Childrens' National Medical Center points out that in some communities, as many as one in thirty 18-19 year-old males are infected. Young people being infected represent a cross-section of metropolitan Washington's population. They include all races, classes, and sexual orientations. According to a recent CDC study, 1 in 59 young Hispanic men and 1 in 200 young Hispanic women are infected. The same study showed rates of 1 in 33 for young African-American men and 1 in 100 for young African-American women. Despite a plateau in new cases among older white Americans, the rate of infection among young white men is high and increasing. These increases cut across lines of sexual orientation: new AIDS cases among homosexuals account for a decreasing percentage of all new cases. AIDS is a powerful adversary, but resources to fight it exist. Metro TeenAIDS maintains a listing of organizations which can give help or advice. Help is out there; all you have to do is call. |