Iowa Has Record Number of HIV Diagnoses

The number of Iowans diagnosed with HIV infection last year rose to its highest level since reporting began in 1998.

In 2007, the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) reports that there were 127 diagnoses, up from 113 in 2006 and the previous high of 117 in 2005. Of concern to state officials is the number of individuals who have been infected with HIV for months or years, but only recently underwent testing.

“Although Iowa has a relatively low number of HIV infections when compared with other states, the upward trending is something we take very seriously,” said Tom Newton, director of IDPH. “We want to encourage testing because early diagnosis means early treatment and a better outcome.”

In Iowa, men accounted for 83 percent of the 2007 diagnoses. This group increased for the fourth consecutive year. Of the 106 men diagnosed in 2007, 68 reported having sex with other males. Men having sex with men remains the number one risk factor in the state for HIV infection. Randy Mayer, the department’s HIV/AIDS and hepatitis program director, said it’s important for good prevention and education messages to be brought to that segment of the population. The department currently funds several prevention projects targeting men who have sex with men.

The Johnson County Public Health Department conducts formal outreach with a team of men who go to locations frequented by gay men to promote prevention. The program, dubbed “moMENtum,” also includes peer-led group discussions.

The AIDS Project of Central Iowa is a Polk County group program for black men who have sex with men. Cultural, social and religious factors specific to African-American men and how these factors affect risk behaviors are a part of the discussions.

Mayer said the department would like to see more outreach and educational programs of this type.

More than 8,000 people were tested for HIV in 2007 via IDPH and affiliated organizations. In addition, more than 8,600 people were reached through community-level prevention programs, and intensive individual-level programs were delivered to 20 people.

HIV diagnoses among people age 45 or older have more than doubled since 2003. The median age of diagnosis was 40 for men and 37 for females. Iowa had no pediatric HIV diagnoses in 2007.

Diagnoses among black, non-Hispanic persons continue to be disproportionate to the size of the population. Blacks are roughly 3 percent of Iowa’s population, but accounted for 20 percent of new HIV diagnoses in 2007. Overall, diagnoses among black persons were up 32 percent from 2006, but lower than the group’s peak in 2002. Blacks are 10 times more likely to be diagnosed with HIV than are white, non-Hispanic persons in Iowa.

Hispanics are also overrepresented among those diagnosed with HIV — roughly three times more likely to be diagnosed with HIV than white, non-Hispanic Iowans. The group comprises roughly 4 percent of the state’s population, yet accounts for 8 percent of the 2007 diagnoses.

Despite the population disparities among blacks and Hispanics, the largest proportion of the HIV and AIDS diagnoses in Iowa continued to be among white, U.S.-born persons. Such individuals accounted for 70 percent of HIV diagnoses and 65 percent of AIDS diagnoses last year.

If there is a silver lining in the statistics released by the IDPH it is that AIDS diagnoses declined by 18 percent last year. There were 66 AIDS diagnoses in 2007, down from 80 in 2006 and below the state average (from 2002 to 2006) of 75.

As of Dec. 31, 2007, a total of 1,910 people living with HIV or AIDS were believed to be residents of Iowa. The vast majority of those cases, similar to general state population distribution, are believed to be living in Polk, Scott, Johnson, Linn, Pottawattamie, Black Hawk and Woodbury counties. While deaths among persons with HIV/AIDS declined slightly in 2007, a departmental review of vital records data expected to be completed this summer may identify additional deaths.