By Crystal Swann
March 23, 2009

Washington (DC) Mayor Adrian Fenty released a detailed report on the rapidly growing HIV rates in the nation’s capitol. Rising 22 percent since 2006, three percent of DC residents are currently living with HIV/AIDS, classifying this problem as a severe epidemic. According to the District of Columbia HIV/AIDS Epidemiology Update 2008, 2,984 residents per every 100,000 (15,120 total) over the age of 12 have HIV/AIDS, with African-Americans making up nearly 76 percent of total infections. DC has the highest rate of HIV in the United States.

Men who have sex with men continue to be the most common mode of transmission, followed closely by heterosexual sex and injection drug use. Ten percent of residents aged 40-49 are infected, a demographic often underserved. Seven percent of black men, three percent of black women, two percent of Latinos and 1.4 percent of whites in DC have HIV. With such shockingly high numbers, it is no surprise that Fenty and his team are strategizing a plan of action to combat this disease.

According to Fenty, “In order to solve an issue as complicated as HIV/AIDS, you have to step up. It certainly is the mayor; it certainly is the other elected officials; but it’s also the community.” Education is critical, and perhaps one dilemma is: “There are people who hear how serious the problem affects us, and it literally goes right in one ear and out the other,” Fenty says. Faced with these barriers, the mayor and his health officials plan to develop a marketing program that will stress condom use, testing, and various other forms of prevention.

DC rates have been compared to those rates in Kenya and Uganda, further emphasizing the need for action. Fenty praises current city efforts, but understands more action is critical to stop the spread of HIV. DC has seen improvements in the past two years in testing and monitoring with routine HIV testing implemented in 2006 resulting in a 70 percent increase in testing. Additionally, more people are aware of their status and early detection allows for people to enroll in care and treatment living longer and healthier lives.