The New York Times (11/27, A20, Urbina) reports, "The District of Columbia has the highest rate of AIDS infection of any city in the country, and the disease is being transmitted to infants, older adults, women, and heterosexual men at an epidemic pace, according to a report released Monday by city health officials." Health officials pointed out that this is "the first-ever study of statistics on HIV in the city," and that the "data offer a vital snapshot of the most recent infections," which will be used to "study any changes in transmission patterns." Based on these data, over "12,400 people in the city -- about 1 in 50 -- are living with AIDS or HIV." According to the report, "HIV/AIDS in the district has become a modern epidemic with complexities and challenges that continue to threaten the lives and well-being of far too many residents."

        According to the Washington Post (11/27, Levine), "The 120-page report, which includes the city's first AIDS update since 2000, shows how a condition once considered a gay disease, has moved into the general population." The new data show that "HIV was spread through heterosexual contact in more than 37 percent of the District's cases detected in that time period, in contrast to the 25 percent of cases attributable to men having sex with men." The report also indicates "that the number of new HIV cases began declining in 2003, but the administration said the drop more likely reflects underreporting or delayed reporting." The Post points out that "District health officials have long been faulted for the lack of HIV information and lagging AIDS data," and they did not track HIV cases "until [they were] forced by federal funding requirements." Reacting to the report, D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) said, "We must take advantage of this information with the sense of urgency that this epidemic deserves." Furthermore, the mayor vowed that the District would "aggressively work to reverse some of the trends that have plagued" the city.

        The AP (11/27, Manning) reports, "The statistics in the study by the city's HIV/AIDS Administration and George Washington University paint a grim picture." Overall, there "are roughly 128 cases of AIDS per 100,000 city residents, far surpassing the national average of 14 cases per 100,000 people." In addition, "Washington had nine percent of all pediatric AIDS cases nationally in 2005, despite having an estimated population of only 580,000 -- a small fraction of the nation's overall population." Notably, the report found that African Americans "make up more than 80 percent of the AIDS and HIV cases in the district, but represent only 57 percent of the city's residents." The data also indicate that the "number of women living with AIDS has grown 76 percent over the past six years," and that African American "women make up more than 90 percent of new female HIV cases." Furthermore, "Since AIDS arose in the early 1980s, the city has had 17,415 reported cases of AIDS alone." Shannon Hader, director of the city's HIV/AIDS Administration, "declined to speculate on reasons for the city's high rate, or the demographic shifts, though she said common culprits such as drug use and unprotected sex were likely major factors."

        And, the Minneapolis Star Tribune (11/27) points out that "Washington is the only city in the country barred by federal law from using local tax money to finance needle exchange programs." This policy may have contributed to the spread of HIV/AIDS in the city, as Hader indicated.