The picture of HIV and AIDS in the United States is a snapshot of our society itself, in all its diversity. HIV cases remain high in men and are increasing rapidly in women, minority groups and young people from 14 to 24 years old. Fifty percent of AFT members live and work in communities that are the hardest hit by HIV infections.

The United States had made progress in slowing the growth of HIV and AIDS within its borders. New HIV infections—now at about 35,000 annually—are well below the 150,000 a year reported in the 1980s at the peak of the U.S. epidemic. The most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) shows that as of the end of 2006, there are 982,498 persons who have been diagnosed with AIDS since 1981. Of those diagnosed, 436,693 people with AIDS remained alive, many due to early diagnoses of infection with HIV and new and effective treatment methods. The onset of AIDS—the total breakdown of the body's capacity to protect itself from diseases—can be delayed with anti-retroviral drug treatment therapy.

HIV rates rising again

But the rates of HIV infection (the virus that leads to AIDS) have again begun to rise. CDC now estimates that 1.1 million adults and adolescents (prevalence rate: 447.8 per 100,000 population) were living with diagnosed or undiagnosed HIV infection in the United States at the end of 2006. The majority of those living with HIV were nonwhite (65.4%), and nearly half (48.1%) were men who have sex with men (MSM). The HIV prevalence rates for blacks (1,715.1 per 100,000) and Hispanics (585.3 per 100,000) were, respectively, 7.6 and 2.6 times the rate for whites (224.3 per 100,000).

Given current trends in the spread of the virus, many people may be at greater risk than they realize. If the spread of HIV and AIDS continues at the present rate, the potential impact on large numbers of AFT members, their communities and the institutions that serve them will be enormous. Large metropolitan areas, where many AFT members live and work, are being hit hardest. In 2003, more than 435,000 AFT members lived in 106 metropolitan areas that had the most reported HIV and AIDS cases.

AFT members helping

Many members of the AFT are engaged in the education field where they can make the case for AIDS prevention, testing and treatment. They utilize curricula that help students understand the risks and see the benefits of knowing their status as well as demonstrate compassion for those who have been infected or affected by the disease.

Another way that members can help one another is through programs operating at the union local level. For instance, the United Federation of Teachers in New York City instituted a program in the early 1990s to assist their members who were infected and affected.

World AIDS Day

Each year on December 1, members of the AFT join with countless other educators and union members across the world to commemorate World AIDS Day and recommit themselves to fight the pandemic. The 2008 theme, "Stop AIDS, Keep the Promise", promotes the leadership of individuals and countries in bringing this health problem under control.