Latest Issue of Journal of Urban Health Takes an In-Depth Look at HIV/AIDS in the 25 Years Since First Case Was Reported

NEW YORK CITY, Jan. 26???The latest issue of The Journal of Urban Health: Bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine is devoted to a special topic???HIV Perspectives After 25 Years.

Scientists from 21 HIV research centers in the New York region came together to reflect upon how far we have come since the first HIV cases were diagnosed in 1981, and to outline the future steps we need to take for more effective HIV prevention and treatment. Six papers in this issue of the Journal are the collaborative product of members of the New York Area HIV Research Centers Consortium, founded in 2002 to develop research partnerships among regional HIV/AIDS scientists.

This year marks a quarter-century since the onset of the AIDS epidemic, with New York City at the epicenter almost from the beginning. In June 1981, an article in the CDC???s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report discussed five cases of severe pneumonia in homosexual men in Los Angeles, which ended up to be the first published accounts of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Other reports of fatal infections among gay men in New York and California rapidly followed. Twenty-five years later, the world is witnessing a global epidemic, with more than 60 million people infected with HIV worldwide. Every year, the number of new HIV infections exceeds by millions the number of deaths caused by HIV/AIDS. There is still no cure or vaccine for HIV/AIDS but vast amounts of energy and money are being used to stop the spread of this potentially fatal disease.

Each article in this issue of the Journal presents a particular research area that is critical to understanding the effects of HIV/AIDS in today???s world, and makes recommendations for future research directions. Synopses of selected articles are below. Full text of articles is available upon request.

* Natural resistance to HIV does exist, although it is very rare. Some individuals have been repeatedly exposed to HIV but have not become infected with the virus, and other individuals have become infected with HIV but the disease has progressed unusually slowly or not at all. Genetic mutations have been found in both populations.

* HIV-positive people who take antiretroviral medications are living longer than ever before. Though this is a wonderful development for patients and a remarkable medical achievement, it is also a cause for concern among HIV specialists who lack experience treating an older population. The long-term effects of HIV infection and treatment therapies are not known, and aging-related conditions such as dementia, diabetes, and osteoporosis may be influenced by chronic exposure to HIV and/or treatments.

* In New York City, up to 6,000 people are newly diagnosed with HIV every year, a prevalence higher than in most other U.S. cities. A large number of these new cases are found within poor immigrant groups. The success or failure of the city???s response to the HIV epidemic here will hinge upon the adequacy of its actions taken within the growing immigrant communities, according to the authors, who studied Hispanic, Caribbean, and South Asian immigrants. A variety of social, attitudinal, and behavioral factors contribute to their increased HIV/AIDS vulnerability.

*Some HIV patients actually adopt riskier behaviors after beginning antiretroviral drug therapy because they feel that they will be less infectious to others, while others fail to adhere to the drug regimen at all. Believing that a diagnosis alone does not automatically lead patients to adopt risk-reducing behaviors, the authors believe that HIV clinics should offer ongoing risk reduction education, such as counseling about safe sex and drug use.

The Journal is a quarterly publication of the Academy and is edited by David Vlahov, PhD, and director of the Academy Center for Urban Epidemiologic Studies. Beginning with this issue, the Journal is published by Springer and will increase from four to six issues per year, thus ensuring timely reportage of important clinical developments and policy issues. The New York Academy of Medicine, the country???s premier urban health policy and intervention center, focuses on enhancing the health of people living in cities through research, education, advocacy, and prevention. Visit us online at www.nyam.org.

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Posted on January 26, 2006

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