Half of deaths occur in 17-state region as federal, private money dries up

AIDS specialists are calling for a fundamental rethinking of HIV policy after a new report showed that infection with the virus was rising dramatically in the South even as it dropped everywhere else in the country.

The warning, issued this week by the Southern AIDS Coalition, a nonprofit partnership of government and private-sector programs based in Birmingham, Ala., concluded that AIDS was creating a health disaster in the South.

AIDS deaths fell or held steady in other parts of the country from 2001 to 2006, the last year for which complete figures were available, but they rose by more than 10 percent in the South, according to the report, titled "Southern States Manifesto 2008."

The report, an update to a landmark 2002 report that identified the disproportionate impact of HIV and AIDS in the South, was based .. compiled by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, state health departments and academic researchers. It defined the region as Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington, D.C.

Among the findings:

• Although the covered area is home to only 36 percent of the nation's population, half of all U.S. AIDS deaths in 2005 were in the South, and more than half of all Americans with HIV lived in the region in 2006.
• Nine of the 15 states with the highest HIV diagnosis rates are in the South.
• More than 40 percent of all new infections are in the South.
• Of the 20 metropolitan areas with the highest rates of AIDS cases in 2006, 16 were in the South.

"The South is faced with a crisis of having to provide medical and support care for increasing numbers of infected individuals without adequate funding," especially among the young and among minority Southern communities, the report concluded.

"African-American women are 83 percent of all [new] cases that we can document," said Bambi Gaddist, executive director of the South Carolina HIV/AIDS Council and a member of the AIDS Coalition board of directors. "And the new epidemic is young people. They're between 22 and 24."

'Specific problems here in the South'
AIDS specialists pointed to unequal government funding of anti-AIDS programs as a major problem in the South, where they said economic and cultural factors played unique roles in transmission of the disease.

"We have specific problems here in the South, especially because of our rural areas — transportation issues, translation, lack of access to proper health care," said Mary Elizabeth Marr, executive director of the AIDS Action Coalition of North Alabama.

Education plays a particularly important role in fighting HIV in rural communities, said Marr, who blamed the "it can't happen to me factor."

"Some of those are parents in denial that their children are sexually active [and] people not getting tested," she said. "People aren't getting proper health care early on and are transmitting the disease to others."

But "even though we have now seen this increase in the South, we are not seeing the increase in funding for the Southern states," she said.

The Southern AIDS Coalition blamed "rising infection rates coupled with inadequate funding, resources and infrastructures" for what it called "a disparate and catastrophic situation in our public health care systems in the South."

"There are vast geographic areas that encompass large cities, less urban areas, and rural areas that result in screening, care, treatment, and housing challenges," it said. "Historically, the South has also received the least amount of federal funding."

At the same time, "only 19 percent of U.S. philanthropic commitments for HIV/AIDS" go to the South, it said.

More funding, education, testing urged
The coalition called for more "age-appropriate, science-driven education for prevention of all sexually transmitted diseases," along with increased federal funding for "prevention, treatment, care, and housing in the southern United States to rectify the historical inequities embedded in the federal HIV and STD funding portfolios."

"Unless we act to correct funding and treatment disparities, we endanger not just isolated communities, but our states and our nation," the report said.

Specialists said people could not get treatment if they did not know they were infected, which the report said could represent as many as 25 percent of all HIV cases in the South. They added a plea for inexpensive testing for every sexually active person.

"People in the South will die for lack of a simple test that can cost under $8 to provide, so we must work together to provide early screening," said Evelyn Foust, a disease expert with the North Carolina Division of Public Health and a member of the AIDS Coalition's board.

AIDS has killed more than 20 million people since the first cases were diagnosed in 1981; including 2.9 million in 2003 alone. It is estimated that 37.8 million people were infected with HIV at the end of 2003, with 2.9 million new cases that year.
Number of people living with HIV/AIDS Approx: 1.2 million, more than 300,000 are woman and more than 440,000 people with AIDS

Percent of people infected with HIV who don't know it: 25%
Number of new HIV infection per year: 40,000
Percent of new HIV infections who are male: 70%
Percent of new HIV infections who are female: 30%

Most women with AIDS were diagnosed between the ages of 25 and 44 (71%), indicating that many were likely infected at a relatively young age.

In 2005, teen girls represented 43% of AIDS cases reported among those aged 13–19
young women, aged 20–24, represented 28% of cases in their age group;
comparatively, women aged 25 and older represented 26% of cases in their age group

AIDS was the leading cause of death among black women aged 25 to 34 years old

Black women account for the majority of new AIDS cases among women 66% in 2006
White and Latina women account for 17% and 16% of new AIDS cases.

The number of Black Americans living with AIDS increased by 27% between 2002 and 2006, compared to a 19% increase among whites.

Also, the prevalence of HIV was higher among Black men 2.64% than Black women 1.49%

Although Black teens aged 13–19 represent only 16% of U.S. teenagers, they accounted for 69% of new AIDS cases reported among teens in 2005. A similar impact can be seen among Black children.

HIV Among High Schoolers Up Nearly 30%

Hey Family,

It’s a new day...a great day in the life of Adina Howard. Tomorrow evening, I will walk the red carpet to attend the premiere of my first acting role in a film short called; Poke the Sleeping Bear. The trailer to this cute independent film is available on my MySpace page. Please review it and tell me what you think?

When I consider all that I have experienced in my career, I stand encouraged that there is something phenomenol on the horizon for Adina Howard. So much so that I am excited about sharing my journey with you. That is why I am in the developmental stages of producing a monthly newsletter to communicate with you the many blessings and challenges that I face daily, not only as a human being, but as an artist. Hopefully, I will inspire and encourage those who have supported Adina Howard over the years and continue to love me to this very day. We will also provide you with a list of upcoming show dates, events, new recording projects and AH products. I hope that all of you will subscribe to my new newsletter via email. Therefore, I need you to send me your name, mailing address, *email address and phone number, so that I may add you to my database. Please send to AdinaHowardFriends@gmail.com.

Now here’s the fun part, we have not yet come up with a name for the new newsletter. So I’ve decided to ask you guys to help me come up with a name that is HOT enough to represent the Adina Howard brand. We will accept all submissions through April 18th, and will carefully review all submissions, before making a final decision by April 25th. The winner will be announced and featured on my MySpace page. In addition, I plan to do something very special for the winner, who knows...could you handle a Private Show? ;-)  Anyway, you will never know if you don’t participate, so put on your thinking caps and submit your best ideas.

Again, please send your contact information and submissions to AdinaHowardFriends@gmail.com. I look forward to hearing from you, so that I may provide you with up-to-date information on the life and times of your girl Adina Howard.

As always...Love, Light and Blessings!

Your biggest fan,

Adina.