Mapping HIV

Bob CollinsBob Collins Jun 22, 2009
1

The National Quality Minority Forum today unveiled its National HIV/AIDS atlas, showing county-level prevalence data of the illness throughout the United States. The licensing agreement is pretty restrictive — you need to register and, technically, you’re barred from linking to the site — which would seem to defeat the purpose of providing more information.

It’s not exactly ready for prime time. The data loads slowly — if at all. And, at least in the case of Minnesota, it’s not something we couldn’t have gotten from the state.

For example:

  • Through the end of 2008, 8,819 people in Minnesota have been diagnosed with HIV; 2,976 have died.
  • Hennepin County has the most AIDS cases, not surprisingly. Several cases were diagnosed in greater Minnesota in 2008, however.
  • White people had the largest share of HIV diagnosis in 2008. The infection rate increased for white men in 2008, but dropped for African American and Hispanic men.

    The rate increased for white and African American women.

  • The primary mode of exposure for males continues to be male-to-male sex (MSM) while for females the predominant mode of exposure is heterosexual sex.

    Nationwide, New York and California have the highest concentrations of HIV/AIDS, which isn’t new. However, parts of the South appear especially hard-hit by the virus, the Associated Press reported today. More than half the 48 counties with the highest rates of the AIDS-causing infection were in Georgia.