HIV

HIV spreading rapidly in New York

Anne Zieger — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 13:29:29 -0400

Particularly among gay minority men, a perennial high-risk group, the HIV virus is spreading rapidly in New York city. HIV is spreading through the city at three times the national rate, or about 72 new infections for every 100,000 people, according to a study released this week by the city's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH). That's compared with 23 per 100,000 nationally. Using a CDC formula, the DHMH report estimated that 4,762 New Yorkers contracted HIV in 2006.

Some additional statistics from the study:

* Men accounted for 76 percent of new HIV infections and women 25 percent (figures over 100 percent due to rounding).

* Blacks made up 46 percent of the newly-infected, Hispanics 32 percent and whites 21 percent.

* Homosexual sex between men was the main cause of 50 percent of new infections, high risk heterosexual sex 22 percent, intravenous drug use 8 percent and unknown causes 18 percent.

Gay minority men were especially at risk. For example, of new HIV infections among men under age 30 who have homosexual sex, 77 percent were in black or Hispanic men, along with 59 percent of new HIV infections among men ages 30 to 50. In fact, almost two-thirds of the city's new infections occurred in people 30 to 50 years old.

To learn more about this report:
- read this piece from the New York Times

Data on TX HIV/AIDS patients stolen

Anne Zieger — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 10:21:48 -0400

Recently, a low-level administrator in Texas' Harris County Hospital District inappropriately downloaded medical and financial records for 1,200 patients with HIV, AIDS and other medical conditions onto a flash drive. The drive was then stolen. Now, as investigators look into the incident, it seems likely that the administrator violated HIPAA law when she downloaded the data, which includes total files on the patients. Under HIPAA, the District could face a $100 fine per violation (though a $25,000 per year cap applies).

In response to the theft, the District has announced that it will allow patients affected by the breach to enroll in credit protection programs at its expense. Meanwhile, it has tightened up policies and procedures regarding the use of transportable media devices like flash drives, a spokesperson said.

The question now is whether the District will face HIPAA repercussions. Generally speaking, the federal government has done little to impose HIPAA fines. However, HHS recently fined Seattle's Providence Health & Services $100,000 for allowing unencrypted electronic protected health information to be lost or stolen in 2005 and 2006. The backup tapes, optical disks and laptops in question contained data on more than 386,000 patients.

To learn more about this incident:
- read this Houston Chronicle article

Related Articles:
Seattle health system will pay $100K HIPAA fine
Tenet warns of potential data theft
VA pledges better data security
Johns Hopkins investigates data breach

SPOTLIGHT: AIDS response has shortchanged children, researchers say

Anne Zieger — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 01:06:24 -0400

While AIDS research and treatment have come a long way, the global response to AIDS hasn't done a great job of meeting children's needs, according to health workers speaking at the International AIDS Conference this week. Though governments and donors provide substantial funding for HIV treatment in the developing world, too little of it reaches pregnant women and children, some said. Article

Bronx to recommend HIV testing for all adults

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 06:59:54 -0400

The Bronx has a higher death rate from AIDS than any of the boroughs in New York City. And according to new research from the Centers for Disease Control, the rate of HIV infections in the U.S. is growing among young African American men. Armed with this disturbing data, the New York City public health officials are leveraging a strategy adopted in Washington, DC, another city with high rates of HIV infection. The NYC health officials have launched a campaign to urge all adults in the borough get tested routinely for the virus. Using a similar approach two years ago, Washington, DC was able to diagnose more people early, significantly increasing their chances of survival. In the Bronx, public officials explain that late diagnosis is the cause of the high death rate from AIDS. People are not getting tested until they are very sick and are diagnosed with full-blown AIDS.

City officials estimate that 40 percent of the 830,000 people ages 18 to 64 in the Bronx have been tested for HIV in the past year. Half of the remainder, about 250,000 people, have never been tested, and the goal is to test them first. Tests would be given at 40 designated sites, including clinics, community centers, churches and emergency rooms.

For more info:
- see The New York Times story
- see also related CDC report and article