Nevada's HIV Cases Increase for First Time Since 1996

Reported HIV infections soared 43 percent in Nevada between 1999 and 2000 -- the first increase in several years -- according to a state Health Division report. The report from state Health Officer Dr. Mary Guinan said gay men accounted for 55 percent of the new cases in 2000, while heterosexual transmission accounted for 11 percent and drug injections accounted for about 9 percent.

There were 304 new HIV infections reported in 2000, compared with 212 the year before. The state rate jumped from about 11 per 100,000 population to 15 per 100,000 population. The Las Vegas area accounted for more than three-quarters of cases. "This increase in reported HIV rates in Nevada for 2000 after a three-year downward trend should alert all Nevadans that HIV infection continues to be a significant problem for the state," Guinan said. The Health Division report says gay men in the 30-39 age group were the most affected, although three cases in the 13-19 age group also were reported -- compared with none in 1999. Blacks continue to have higher rates of HIV infection than whites. The report shows black males have a rate of 74 per 100,000 population compared with the white males' rate of less than 23. For black women, the rate is more than 29, compared with slightly less than 3 for white women.

Guinan said targeted prevention in areas with disproportionately higher HIV rates "must be enhanced to stop the increase in morbidity observed in 2000." The reported HIV infections in 2000 brought Nevada's total to more than 2,600, according to the CDC. With AIDS cases added in, the Nevada total is more than 4,700. Nationally, the CDC's 2000 totals included 127,286 HIV cases and 322,865 AIDS cases -- a total of more than 450,000.

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