New HIV Cases: Miami Tops List of Metro Areas With New Infections

MIAMI, FL — The highest rate of HIV diagnosis among metropolitan areas is in Miami, according to a new report released this week by the Centers for Disease Control. The Miami metro area — which includes Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach — had 2,332 residents test positive for HIV in 2015. That's a rate of nearly 39 new HIV cases for every 100,000 residents.

Nationally, new HIV cases are down to 39,513 in 2015, compared to more than 49,000 in 2008. Sixteen states saw an increase in the rate of new diagnoses in 2015. Louisiana saw a significant drop in new diagnoses but still had the highest rate — slightly ahead of Florida with 24.2 new cases for every 100,000 residents.

The data comes from the federal "HIV Surveillance Report," with the number of new cases and overall infection rates collected nationwide. The CDC notes that the latest data compiled for 2015 is preliminary and may not include some delayed reports. Final 2015 numbers will be released next year.

Dec. 1, 2016, is World Aids Day, an annual international effort to increases awareness about safe practices that prevent HIV infection and how to support those with the disease. AIDS.gov provides a national locator for health centers that provide HIV testing.

Awareness of the risks of infection needs to increase in the Miami community, says Luigi Ferrer, health director of Pridelines, a nonprofit that is on the front lines of stopping new cases in Miami-Dade County.

“There is no sex education in the high schools, so teenagers don’t know what risks they’re facing, that we are living in a high-incidence area," Ferrer tells Patch. "Parents don’t understand the risk their kids are at, and therefore oppose comprehensive sex education in the schools. The school board doesn’t really feel that’s their purview or that’s something that they need to address. HIV isn’t on their radar screens.”

Then, there are the 15.5 million tourists who passed through Miami last year. “We have people coming from all over the world to play here, to do drugs here, to have unsafe sex when they’re on vacation here," Ferrer said.

• More: Miami Activist on the Front Lines Sees Reason for Hope

Along with Miami, other metro areas with a higher rate of infection include Louisiana's Baton Rouge and New Orleans, followed by Jackson, Mississippi, and Atlanta.

HIV and AIDS cases are generally concentrated in urban areas and, therefore, in states with large metropolitan regions. But in the South, larger percentages of diagnoses are in smaller metro areas and suburban and rural areas, according to the CDC.

Here are the 30 metro areas that had the highest rate of new HIV cases in 2015 (the rate is per 100,000 residents):

1. Miami–Fort Lauderdale–West Palm Beach, FL: 38.8
2. Baton Rouge, LA: 32.0
3. New Orleans–Metairie, LA: 31.9
4. Jackson, MS: 31.3
5. Atlanta–Sandy Springs–Roswell, GA: 25.8
6. Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford, FL: 25.7
7. Louisville/Jefferson County, KY–IN: 24.5
8. Memphis, TN–MS–AR: 23.1
9. Jacksonville, FL: 22.7
10. Baltimore–Columbia–Towson, MD: 22.1
11. Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land, TX: 22.1
12. Washington–Arlington–Alexandria, DC–VA–MD–WV: 21.5
13. Columbia, SC: 21.1
14. Las Vegas–Henderson–Paradise, NV: 20.9
15. Tampa–St. Petersburg–Clearwater, FL: 20.1
16. Augusta–Richmond County, GA–SC: 18.6
17. Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington, TX: 18.0 17
18. New York–Newark–Jersey City, NY–NJ–PA: 17.8
19. Richmond, VA: 17.7 19
20. Greensboro–High Point, NC: 17.3 20
21. San Juan–Carolina–Caguas, PR: 17.0 21
22. Austin–Round Rock, TX: 16.8 22
23. Virginia Beach–Norfolk–Newport News, VA–NC: 16.6 23
24. Lakeland–Winter Haven, FL: 16.6
25. Charlotte–Concord–Gastonia, NC–SC: 16.5
26. Los Angeles–Long Beach–Anaheim, CA: 16.5
27. San Antonio–New Braunfels, TX: 16.2
28. Little Rock–North Little Rock–Conway, AR: 16.0
29. Durham–Chapel Hill, NC: 15.7
30. Charleston–North Charleston, SC: 15.7

Drug Use and HIV Diagnosis

Also this week, federal officials expressed concern about infections among drug users who inject heroin and other narcotics. HIV cases among minorities injecting drugs dropped by 50 percent between 2008 and 2014, but new infections among white injected drug users dropped by only 28 percent.

One possible cause may be the continued use of shared needles among white drug users, according to the CDC report. It also notes that the rate of injected drug use has increased dramatically among whites — up 114 percent in recent years.

The new data was shared in an effort to support Syringe Services Programs that can provide clean needles, along with services that include substance abuse counseling, disease testing and overdose response training.

Includes reporting by Paul Scicchitano | Image via NIAID