HIV/AIDS Surveillance Supplemental Report. Volume 13, Number 2. Cases of HIV Infection and AIDS in Urban and Rural Areas of the United States, 2006

摘要

Where people reside when they are diagnosed with HIV infection or AIDS has been an important question throughout the epidemic. Along with identification of early epicenters of HIV transmission, HIV surveillance data have allowed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to monitor the geographic dispersion of HIV in the United States and guide efforts to prevent and control disease. There are many ways to characterize and define areas by population size; this report uses the Office of Management and Budget designations for metropolitan statistical areas. Persons diagnosed and reported with either HIV or AIDS are assigned, based on the place of residence at diagnosis, to a large metropolitan area (population greater than or equal to 500,000), a medium-size metropolitan area (population 50,000 to 499,999), or a nonmetropolitan area (population of less than 50,000). Historically, the majority of HIV and AIDS cases in the United States have been diagnosed in large metropolitan areas. Population areas are generally defined as urban if they have a population greater than or equal to 50,000. The AIDS epidemic in the United States is still predominately urban: in 2006, 82% of AIDS cases were reported from large metropolitan areas and 11% were reported from medium-size metropolitan areas. However, there is a growing number of people diagnosed and living with HIV infection in nonmetropolitan (i.e., rural) areas. In 2006, 2,696 cases of AIDS were reported among adults and adolescents (age 13 years and older) from rural areas and 26,154 adults and adolescents were estimated to be living with AIDS in rural areas. While the numbers may be small in comparison to urban areas, there are many challenges facing persons diagnosed and living with HIV infection in rural areas today. As of 2006, data from the U.S. Census showed 65% of the general population of the United States was living in large metropolitan areas, 19% in medium-size metropolitan areas, and 17% in nonmetropolitan areas. Overall distribution of population by geographic region was: 18% in the Northeast, 36% in the South, 22% in the Midwest, and 23% in the West.