First Big Decline in AIDS-Related Deaths in 8 Years, State Reports

At the age of 22, Jason Cifredo already has a bucket list. Diagnosed as HIV positive three years ago, the Orlando resident has sky diving, bungee jumping and hot air ballooning on his list of must-dos before he dies. Not that he expects to go anytime soon.

In fact, a new state Department of Health report shows that for the first time since 1999, Florida has seen a significant decline in AIDS related deaths. From 2006 to 2007, the latest year for which AIDS data are available, deaths decreased by 16 percent among black men, 15 percent among Hispanic men and 11 percent among white men.

The decline in deaths doesn’t surprise Dr. Jay Flicker, clinical director of Orlando’s Hope and Help Center of Central Florida, which provides support, education and care for those living with HIV. “Because of the medications we have now, people are living longer,” said Flicker, whose organization helps residents of Orange, Osceola, Lake and Seminole counties. “We’re also fortunate to have resources available for people who may not otherwise be able to afford their meds to get them.” Although new cases among black men statewide continue on a downward trend, they are still disproportionately infected. In Florida, 1 in 44 black men is living with HIV/AIDS, compared with 1 in 117 Hispanic men and 1 in 209 white men.

But in Orange County, infection rates are high across all racial and ethnic groups. Orange ranked 4th in the state among counties with the highest numbers of white men with HIV, with 1 in 109 living with the disease. Among Hispanic men with HIV, the county ranked 5th with 1 in 130 men. And among black men, Orange ranked 10th with 1 in 55. Osceola County also made the top 10 list of counties with the highest rates of infection among Hispanic men and white men.

“We wanted to give counties an opportunity to know where they stand. Then they can look at the data and use that data to take action,” said Ronald Henderson, minority AIDS coordinator with the state Department of Health Bureau of HIV/AIDS and co-author of the study. “Epidemiological data can mobilize a county. But it’s not just health departments, community-based organizations and churches we want to get involved — everybody needs to play a part”.