San Francisco rate of new HIV infections to slow in 2006

By Brigid Gaffikin, Bay City News Service

April 3, 2006

SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) - HIV infection rates reported in San Francisco for 2006 are likely to be 10 percent lower than during 2001, according to the San Francisco Department of Public Health, making the city a stand-out case among major urban centers in the U.S.

The rate of infection among gay and bisexual men has dropped even further, by 20 percent, with fewer than 2 infections for every 100 gay and bisexual men in San Francisco anticipated this year.

"The message overall is that HIV prevention is working," said Jason Riggs, communications director of the STOPS AIDS Project, in a statement. "This new information is very encouraging. Our hope is that the downward trend doesn't reverse again but rather gains momentum in the years to come," he added.

According to new estimates released by the STOP AIDS Project, 976 people will be infected with HIV in 2006 compared with 1,084 in 2001. Some 87 percent of those new infections will occur among gay and bisexual men.

In 2001, city officials estimated around 17,817 people were living with HIV in San Francisco, compared with 18,735 in 2006, according to the STOP AIDS Project.

Between 2001 and 2005 the number of gay and bisexual men living in San Francisco increased by around 25 percent, from around 46,800 to 58,343.

Health and city officials are attributing the declining infection rate to a combination of factors, including healthy measures taken by gay and bisexual men to protect themselves and others from the virus, new treatments that keep HIV-positive people less infectious and the combined efforts of AIDS service organizations, the Department of Public Health and community businesses serving primarily gay clientele, according to Riggs.

Some of the healthy measures HIV-positive gay and bisexual men have adopted include "sero-sorting," or having sex only with other HIV-positive men.

Other factors contributing to the decline in the rate of infections include the drop in syphilis cases in recent years. Syphilis makes it easier for HIV to enter a person's body.

A decline in the number of gay and bisexual men using crystal methamphetamine has also helped reduce the number of reported cases of HIV.

The STOP AIDS Project reported that studies show HIV transmission and crystal meth use are closely linked. Gay and bisexual men who use methamphetamine are 3 to 4 times more likely to acquire HIV than non-users; they also represent around 30 percent of new HIV infections in the city, according to the STOP AIDS Project.

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