Some good news: HIV Infections Down in San Francisco

[Jean Louise Finch]

Has anyone heard this? I thought it was unexpected, great news, after all the worry that people are becoming more relaxed about HIV infection given ARVs, etc.

From the LA Times:

San Francisco Sees a Drop in HIV Cases
Health officials estimate that new infections have declined 10% since 2001, despite a 25% rise in the number of gay males living in the city.
By Michelle Keller, Times Staff Writer
April 1, 2006

New cases of HIV in San Francisco dipped nearly 10% in the last five years, marking the first drop in infections since the late 1980s, according to preliminary estimates from the city's Department of Public Health....

The change in absolute numbers, from an estimated 1,084 cases in 2001 to 976 in 2006, isn't huge, but San Francisco's gay male population increased 25% in that period, said McFarland. Also, increases in syphilis — often transmitted through unprotected sex — and studies showing high-risk behavior among young men seemed to predict a resurgence in HIV.

The department had been expecting a rise of up to 33%, McFarland said.

(Full story at LA Times website)

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The story continues to point out that this is counter to national trends, that this might not hold true for black men, and a number of other caveats, but I thought it was a bit of good news in an area that's usually pretty bleak. Some thing it might have to do with "sex sorting", that is, only having sex with individuals of the same HIV status, which is still a risk for HIV positive individuals.

I live and work in Thailand, where the epidemic just completely exploded a decade ago. There have been huge successes here, but rates are starting to rise again now that people have sort of decided the epidemic is "over" and it doesn't get the kind of constant attention it needs to get. I'm still amazed at how rarely HIV gets talked about in newspapers, on tv, etc. The sense of urgency seems to have passed. What do you think?