HIV/AIDS may seem to be under control in the United States. Public education about the routes of transmission of HIV has dramatically reduced the rates of new infection. Advances in retroviral drugs are lengthening the life expectancy of people living with AIDS.
In D.C., though, it seems as if the disease has the upper hand. The District has been called the murder capital of the country, but its status as the city most victimized by AIDS is less well-known but just as serious. A recent report revealed that D.C.'s rate of new AIDS cases is 10 times the national average. One could argue that urban areas have a higher rate of AIDS, but D.C. is also in trouble among its peers: D.C. has more AIDS cases per capita than any other major city in the United States.
Approximately 9,000 D.C. residents are known to be living with AIDS today. Since the early 1980s when the disease was first discovered, over 7,000 people in D.C. have died as a result of AIDS. In the same two-decade period, 7,600 people were murdered in the District, although most residents are more likely to avoid Anacostia and Columbia Heights at night than they are to practice safe sex. What is more worrying is that many more residents are carrying the HIV virus without yet developing AIDS. The District's public health department estimates that as many as one of every 20 residents is infected with the virus.
When your city has a particularly high risk of death from some cause, you take positive action and put in place special measures to protect your citizenry from the risk. Los Angeles has strict building codes and emergency response plans to mitigate the risk of deaths due to earthquakes. Miami, forever vulnerable to hurricane landings, has fortified hurricane shelters, improved storm water drainage systems and developed evacuation plans. Both these cities spend millions of dollars to protect its residents from the lethal threats they face. D.C. residents deserve a government that considers AIDS just as seriously as others cities consider its special threats.
AIDS is not a disease like cancer or heart disease that strikes people in old age and is not always easily prevented. It is eminently preventable, and such modes are evident. There must be greater efforts to raise public awareness about the threat. I would like to see public service announcements in our Metro cars and buses about the threat unprotected sex and needle sharing poses to District residents. In this case, self-interest will be a positive motivating factor for people to cease engaging in risky behavior, which would help pull down these high infection rates.
We must also increase funding for reduced-cost antiretroviral drugs for those who currently have AIDS. AIDS was a death sentence before these drugs arrived, and the District should enable access for those who cannot afford it. Reduced-cost drugs could also give hope to those who suspect they might be affected but do not get tested to avoid bad news and a possible death sentence. Undiagnosed carriers of HIV significantly contribute to the spread of AIDS.
Fortunately, D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty recognizes the need to act and has declared the HIV/AIDS crisis to be the No. 1 public health priority for the District government. He replaced the incumbent director of D.C.'s HIV/AIDS agency, hoping to re-energize the agency. He has also committed to increasing the number of public service announcements about AIDS testing and prevention.
Still, not enough resources are being poured into the effort to fight AIDS in the District. D.C. remains a blemish in a country that has made great progress in controlling AIDS. The high rate of AIDS in the District: What a travesty.
Travis McArthur is a senior in the School of International Service and a D.C. politics columnist for The Eagle.
