National
HIV/AIDS Atlas Maps the U.S. Epidemic
| The
National Minority Quality Forum (NMQF) has created a new online tool that shows
what areas of the country have the most cases of HIV/AIDS. |
 The
National HIV/AIDS Atlas presents county-level prevalence rates, based on the
reported number of people living with HIV (but non AIDS) and AIDS in 2006. The
map includes data for all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and
the U.S. Virgin Islands. Users can see their congressional and state legislative
districts overlaid on top of the county-level data.
Mapping
HIV/AIDS is an important step in stemming the tide of the disease, according to
the web site. The Atlas was developed to increase awareness of, and public access
to, HIV/AIDS data so people can better understand the reality of HIV/AIDS in the
U.S. today. The
Atlas allows users to look at HIV/AIDS statistics according to sex, age, and race/ethnicity,
where available, spotlighting the fact that African-Americans have disproportionately
high rates in relation to their percentage of the total population. The map also
reveals the impact of the epidemic in the southeast, as well as in states such
as New York and California that have had a high burden of cases since the start
of the epidemic. "For
the first time, we actually know where the patients are," said NMQF CEO Gary
Puckrein. The organization has created similar atlases for other diseases including
diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The
National AIDS Atlas is available free online at www.mapHIV.org. 6/26/09 Source
National
Minority Quality Forum. Welcome to the National HIV/AIDS Atlas (www.mapHIV.org).
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