The HIV epidemic in the U.S. is now more than 25 years old. It was first recognized in 1981 when clusters of gay men in Los Angeles and New York succumbed to uncommon opportunisitic infections including Pneumocystis carinii (now Pneumocystis jiroveci). Initially the syndrome was called GRID (Gay-Related Immunodeficiency Disease) because it was thought to only affect gay men. Then, people with hemophilia started to die. As the virus began to affect populations beyond gay men the name Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome or AIDS was adopted.

Since 1981, all U.S. states and dependent areas have conducted AIDS surveillance using a secure, standardized, confidential name-based reporting system. Confidential name-based reporting is used because it is reliable, cost effective and verifiable. Astonishingly, HIV has not been uniformly surveilled. It was not until 2005 that the CDC recommended standardized confidential name-based reporting for every diagnosis of HIV infection. As of May 2007, confidential name-based HIV reporting was being conducted by 54 U.S. states and dependant areas. Hawaii and Vermont continue to use a non-recommended reporting systems. The Marshal Islands, Palau and the Federated States of Micronesia have no reporting systems. In fact, it won't be until 2011 that the actual data from all 50 states will be included in CDC HIV estimate.

Racial and ethnic populations are disproportionately affected by HIV and AIDS. Although African-American and Hispanic persons together represent about 27% of the U.S. population, more than 60% of new HIV/AIDS cases reported to CDC are among these populations. This disparity is even more dramatic for the children of racial and ethnic populations.

At least 500,000 Americans, have died from HIV related disease since record keeping began in 1981. In 2003, more than 1 million Americans were living with HIV/AIDS. Of these 1 million HIV⁺ Americans about 25% are unaware of their infections.

The CDC announced August of 2008, that the yearly rate of new HIV infections has been substantially misrepresentative of the affected population. It was assumed that 40,000 Americans were infected each year from 2001 to 2005. The new data indicates that the estimate should be closer to 56,000. The CDC contends that the new data does not indicate an increase in new cases; rather, there has been a substantial undercounting at least since 2001. More accurate surveillance along with improved laboratory and statistical analysis have allowed CDC to better differentiate recent infections from chronic disease.

While 56,000 may seem high, it is still a significant reduction from an estimated peak of 130,000/year during the 1980's. That reduced incidence of new HIV infections can be attributed to HIV testing, treatment and prevention programs.

HIV is a preventable disease

Effective prevention strategies including:

1. Abstinence
2. Universal/Standard precautions
3. Routine HIV testing and counseling
4. Condoms
5. STD treatment
6. Clean needle/syringe exchange
7. Partner services
8. Behavioral intervention
9. Community/peer opinion intervention
10. Highly active antiretroviral treatment (HAART)
11. Post-exposure prophylaxis
12. Childbirth protocol
13. Comprehensive sexuality education.

CDC - HIV/AIDS Fact Sheets