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National Minority Quality Forum Launches First U.S. HIV/AIDS Atlas

WASHINGTON, June 22 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Minority Quality Forum today launched a groundbreaking HIV/AIDS Atlas (http://www.MapHIV.org) that highlights the impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in communities across the United States. The Atlas makes information on HIV/AIDS prevalence rates available in a single location for the first time, painting a comprehensive picture of the varying intensity of the epidemic across the country.

Suffolk County has AIDS prevalence rates of 0.248 percent or greater, according to the Atlas. Suffolk is also the only county in the state with HIV (non-AIDS) prevalence rates of 0.38 percent or greater. The county is placed in the red or dark red zones depicted on the Atlas, indicating they are among the counties with the highest prevalence rates in the United States.

The HIV/AIDS Atlas is being released in advance of National HIV Testing Day (June 27), to highlight the growing need for increased HIV screening efforts in communities that are suffering disproportionately from the disease. Currently, 20 percent of HIV-positive Americans - approximately 220,000 individuals - are unaware of their infection. People with undiagnosed HIV infection are not receiving life-saving therapies, and it is estimated that they may unknowingly transmit up to 70 percent of new infections in the United States.

"We began this project with a desire to fill a fundamental gap in public access to HIV/AIDS information," said Gary Puckrein, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Minority Quality Forum. "Mapping the disease reveals visible health disparity zones around the country. It is an important step in increasing awareness and stemming the tide of the epidemic. Now
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