10 States With The Highest HIV Rates in America

Published on March 2, 2017 at 10:11 am by Ty Haqqi in Lists

The 10 states with the highest HIV rates in America indicate that the dream of eradicating the virus is far from becoming a reality at the moment. According to the CDC, or the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, there are around 1.2 million Americans who have been infected with HIV. What’s more astounding is, more than 12% of those infected don’t have any idea that they are actually infected. Of course, this doesn’t mean that the government isn’t taking a hard stance against the virus and that it isn’t dedicated to eradicating the disease. While the population has increased significantly, the number of new cases of HIV are still around the 50,000 annually, a mark which has remained more or less stable in recent years.

However, the difference lies in the groups which are affected. There is a reason that HIV, and AIDS, were considered to be ‘gay diseases’ is because when the details were not known, and science and medicine had not quite determined the reason behind the virus, it was thought that the issue was only exclusive to gay men or lesbians. However, while we now know that it is not true at all, gays, bisexuals and men who have sex with other men are still the group which has the highest risk of contracting HIV, with the group being responsible for over 60% of the total infections in the nation, in 2010. The disease seems to discriminate based on race as well, as in 2010, blacks were the victims of 44% of the total HIV infections. The good thing is that people now know that HIV is not contagious, and hence, while people who suffered from the infection were treated like lepers, that is not the case now, though a small minority are still treated the same way due to a lack of awareness.

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It is important to know that there is a difference between HIV and AIDS. HIV is a virus, which has the potential to destroy your immune system. However, it can be years before contracting HIV will result in AIDS, and due to the advances made in medicine, you can now live a long life even if you suffer from the virus. However, it is also important to note that HIV is not curable, and at best, can only be controlled by medicine.

AIDS, on the other hand, is the disease that results from HIV. It is generally considered to be the final stage of HIV, and can result in serious ailments, including cancer, and has resulted in more than half a million deaths in the United States alone. We wanted to find out the states where HIV is the most prevalent. Now, while we could have selected the states which had the most cases, that would be inaccurate as the states with large populations will almost always have the most cases as well. Hence, we decided to select the states with the highest rates of HIV. For this, we used CDC’s HIV surveillance report, which showed the most recent statistics pertaining to the prevalence of HIV in the country. If you are more interested in the global picture, you might like to visit the 11 countries with the highest HIV rates in the world.

Without further ado, we present you with these unfortunate states with the highest HIV rates in America.

10. Connecticut

HIV rate in the state: 212 per 100,000 people

Nearly 7,000 people died in Connecticut due to HIV in 2014, which is a deadly disease in the state, despite efforts by the US government to decrease it. Unsurprisingly, it is the black population which is most at risk for contracting the virus, which can unleash the deadly disease. It is also a concern for the gay population, which is also a demographic strongly affected by the virus. Apparently, due to the hype surrounding the disease, funding by the government has decreased as well, which may have been a contributing factor. While the budget for combating HIV was $7.27 million in 2010, instead of funding being increased in recent years, it actually fell to $5.46 million in 2012. However, due to voluntary testing of the people who walk into clinics, there is a chance that the cases in the state will fall even further.

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9. California

HIV rate in the state: 216.3 per 100,000 people

Next in line on our list of states with the highest HIV rates in America is California that had the second-highest number of cases in the country, with nearly 70,000 people infected living in the state. However, there is good news in this regard, as the number of people being diagnosed with HIV is falling steadily over the years, which means that in the near future, California might not be one of the states with the highest HIV rates. Meanwhile, 87% of those who have been diagnosed are men who are between the ages of 20 and 50. However, the health authorities in California are more concerned regarding their estimate of 15,000 people in the state who have HIV but are not even aware of it, and hence, do not take the necessary precautions and medicine necessary.

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8. South Carolina

HIV rate in the state: 217.4 per 100,000 people

South Carolina, next on our list of states with the highest HIV rates in America has a lot to be concerned about, considering its high rate of HIV. While AIDS and HIV have been generally considered to be city diseases, with their high-flying sex lives and drug abuse, this is a myth which is absolutely not true in the current day, as evidenced by South Carolina. It is now a rural problem as well, where medicine and treatment is not so easily available, which means there has been little success fighting the virus in the state.

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7. Delaware

HIV rate in the state: 248.6 per 100,000 people

Delaware is one of the states where you would think HIV wouldn’t be much of an issue, again considering that it is considered to be a virus mainly in the big cities or states. However, something that might explain this issue is that the Interstate-95 goes through the state, and the health workers believe that route allows the easy transport of drugs and thus injections, which are one of the main sources of HIV.

6. New Jersey

HIV rate in the state: 252.1 per 100,000 people

New Jersey, number 6 on our list of states with the highest HIV rates in America is home to many ‘hots spots’ or places where HIV is prevalent. Newark is one of them, a reminder that while the number of AIDS cases have decreased substantially, the number of HIV cases are yet to show the same fall, which is a significant cause of concern. In fact, the rates are especially high when you consider African American women in the area; they are similar to the rate of HIV in Africa, a place where medicine and treatment are not quite so easily available.

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5. Louisiana

HIV rate in the state: 262.6 per 100,000 people

We are continuing our list of states with the highest HIV rates in America with Louisiana that has a problem, and the problem is HIV. The state has two cities in the top 5 cities with the highest HIV rates in the United States. Nearly three-fourth of the people who were infected with HIV were black citizens, which is a significant issue that needs to be tackled in time. This is significant because only 32% of the state’s population is black. Of course, there is still some good news. Baton Rogue, which was number one previously, has fallen to number 2 in the cities with the highest HIV rates.

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4. Georgia

HIV rate in the state: 300.3 per 100,000 people

Just the fact that Georgia is being compared to South Africa due to its HIV rates shows how drastic the situation is. The healthcare in the state has been substandard for many years, while the state has also faced a shortage with regards to access to the proper medicine and facilities to detect and treat HIV. Even the busiest hospital in the city of Alaska has started programs to raise awareness regarding the virus.

3. Florida

HIV rate in the state: 340.6 per 100,000 people

There has been a surge in HIV cases in Florida, next in line on our list of states with the highest HIV rates in America, a surge which is concerning to say the least, as the cases increased by over 23 percent. This is despite the fact that the state of Florida has spent $34 million to combat the disease. Perhaps the amount isn’t enough to combat the virus which is why regardless of the millions spent, there has been a reduction in staff, which could have led to the increase in cases.

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2. Maryland

HIV rate in the state: 347.7 per 100,000 people

In Maryland, next on the list of states with the highest HIV rates in America, it is the younger generation which is facing the repercussions regarding HIV. While only 16% of people from the ages of 20-29 contracted the virus in 2003, the number jumped to 31% in 2012, an increase of nearly a 100% in less than a decade. Experts believe that since young people don’t tend to get tested, many aren’t even aware they carry the disease.

1. New York

HIV rate in the state: 464.5 per 100,000 people

Brooklyn is home to the highest HIV rates in New York, which in turn tops the list of 10 states with the highest HIV rates in America. The high rate is mainly due to the closure of the hospitals and clinics in the area, which has left many people with no outlet where they can go to get tested or obtain medicine from. To combat this rising rate, the Health Department has decided to extend its hours by working 10 more hours a week at the STD clinics.