HIV/AIDS Skyrockets in Americaa

HIV/AIDS Skyrockets in America

HIV/AIDS may no longer crown headlines, but its death toll rises daily. This silent predator is a notorious serial killer and must be kept in the consciousness.

Last year, another 46,000 people contracted HIV/AIDS in the United States of America. A staggering number compared to the Caribbean’s 17,000 for the same period.

A White House report stated that an estimated 900,000 Americans (children and adults) were living with the disease, of which 300,000 were unaware of their infection. By the end of 2007, more than half a million people had died from HIV/AIDS. It is the sixth leading cause of death in America.

Latest figures from the Caribbean Epidemiology Center (CAREC) revealed that more than 330,000 people were living with HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean. After sub-Saharan Africa, it has the second highest incidence of HIV occurrence. Last year, more than 11,000 people had died from AIDS. Between 2005 and 2007 new cases dropped by an estimated 8,000. The declines, which resulted from implementation of prevention programs and medication, were in Barbados, Bahamas and Bermuda.