America Living With AIDS

in 100 in the United States is HIV positive and one adult female in 600 is
similarly infected. In all, CDC estimates that at least one million people
in this country have HIV infection.
Moreover, HIV affects people of all
ages. Adolescents are often forgotten
as discussions center on adults and
children. Presently, adolescents with
hemophilia represent a majority of
reported AIDS cases among those
aged 13-19. In addition, adolescents
practice many of the same behaviors
that put adults at risk. Given the
length of time between infection and
diagnosis, it is clear that the large
numbers of individuals diagnosed
with AIDS in their mid to late twenties
were infected during their teens. The
disproportionate impact of AIDS on
young people is further dramatized by
the "years of potential life lost.")
Health economists have tallied up the
years of potential life lost before age 65
to describe the extent to which deaths
from AIDS occur primarily in young
people. In 1987 the years of potential
life lost due to AIDS was 432,000.
This figure compared with 246,000 for
stroke, 1.5 million for heart disease,
and 1.8 million for cancer. While the
rates for these other major diseases
remain stable, the years of potential
life lost due to AIDS continues to
increase. In 1991 estimates place the
years of potential life lost due to AIDS
between 1.2 and 1.4 million, ranking it
third among all diseases. By 1992 the
years of potential life lost due to AIDS
will grow to between 1.5 and 2.1 mil
lion. By 1993 AIDS will clearly outstrip all other diseases in lost human
potential.
HIV disease has a devastating
impact on those who are already
marginalized members of society.
Growing numbers of HIV infection
and AIDS cases occur among poor
residents of inner cities. For the members of the National Commission on
AIDS, the statistics of HIV disease
were brought to life by the testimony
of nearly one thousand witnesses at
hearings and site visits across the
country. The Commission met with
people living with HIV disease and
with caregivers on the
front lines. Its members
met with people at homeless shelters in New York
City, at a needle exchange my daughtei
program in Seattle, in but affect
Native American commu- situation.
nities in four states, in about her,
private homes in rural that are n(
Georgia, at primary I think t0
health clinics and drug forget abou
outreach centers in Puer- If they loto Rico, at a Veterans they lose th
Administration hospital the public 1
in Los Angeles, and at as now ove
hospitals, HIV antibody those child
testing centers, drug b
treatment clinics, and
comprehensive hemophilia treatment centers
throughout the nation.
A mere tally of cases
only sketches part of the
picture. It quickly became clear during the Commission's travels that HIV
disease could not be understood outside the context of racism, homopho