Cases of Infectious Diseases Drop in Alaska

A new report by the state Department of Health and Social Services shows a drop in cases of HIV/AIDS and other STDs in 2007. New AIDS cases fell 35 percent, from 46 in 2006 to 30 last year; new HIV infections dropped 31 percent, from 88 cases in 2006 to 61 cases last year. These declines mostly reflect a statistical spike in 2006, when state health officials adopted new methods that allowed them to identify previously unreported cases of HIV and AIDS, and a return to normal in 2007, said Mollie Rozier, director of the state's HIV/STD program. New cases of gonorrhea and syphilis also dropped last year, the report found. However, chlamydia infections increased 8 percent. Alaska appears to have partially recovered from a 2006 TB outbreak that resulted in 70 cases statewide. In 2007, 51 TB cases were recorded.

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