Alarming increase in HIV-positive test results

(PALM SPRINGS, CA – January 22, 2009)

While the national average for any HIV test returning as positive is 1%, results of tests administered by Desert AIDS Project in recent months have been as high as 15%. In response, D.A.P. has requested urgent help from the Riverside County Department of Public Health for more HIV testing resources.

Over the past 12 months, D.A.P. has seen an average 5% increase in positive HIV test results – with a 15% positivity rate in the month of September 2008. “Testing is the first phase in breaking the back of the epidemic in our community. We take a test-treat-reduce approach by testing those most at-risk, treating those newly identified in a timely manner, and reducing the viral load of those positives in our care,” said David Brinkman, Executive Director of Desert AIDS Project. “We recognize this increase is, in part, due to our strategic mapping of and outreach to populations most at-risk for HIV. However, we cannot continue our efforts without the County’s fiscal partnership.”

In the Coachella Valley area, the categories most at-risk for an HIV-positive test result by D.A.P. includes “men who have sex with men,” IV-drug users, and the broad heterosexual community who are having unprotected sex. They are typically White and Latino males, 20-40 years old.

Desert AIDS Project is the organization in our community where people living with HIV and AIDS can receive comprehensive support, including medical care, case management, and social services. D.A.P. also offers confidential HIV testing at a number of locations and widespread education and prevention services for schools, civic organizations, businesses, churches, and health organizations throughout the communities it serves. For more information, visit www.desertaidsproject.org or call 760-323-2118.