Seventy percent of the people living with diagnosed HIV in 2014 were African American. And according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, one in 51 Georgians will be diagnosed with HIV in their lifetime.
The HIV/AIDS rate in certain parts of the city of Atlanta, particularly downtown ATL, is as bad as some third world African countries, the CDC reported in 2016. “Downtown Atlanta is as bad as Zimbabwe or Harare or Durban,” Dr. Carlos del Rio, co-director of Emory University’s Center for AIDS Research, said last year. The disparate rates for the black community are staggering.
Last week, AIDSVu launched new data and maps that visualize HIV’s impact in Atlanta down to the ZIP Code level. As one of the cities most impacted by the disease in the United States, the interactive mapping tool – illustrating the HIV epidemic across the U.S. – is invaluable for public health professionals and community leaders to allocate resources where they are most needed.
Each year on June 27, AIDSVu recognizes National HIV Testing Day by raising awareness of the critical role that testing plays in fighting the HIV epidemic. More than 1 million people in the United States are currently living with HIV, and 1 in 7 people with HIV are unaware of their infection. Widespread HIV testing, early diagnosis, timely linkage to care and treatment, and access to comprehensive HIV prevention services are critical components of the national response to the HIV epidemic. In fact, according to a 2015 study by researchers at the CDC, more than 90 percent of new HIV infections in the United States could be averted by diagnosing people living with HIV and ensuring they receive prompt, ongoing care and treatment.
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