§        As of December 2006, 7,084 Middle Tennesseans have been reported with AIDS or HIV infection since the epidemic began.  This represents 35% of the 20,300 Tennesseans diagnosed statewide.

§        About 4,800 Middle Tennesseans are currently living with HIV/AIDS (68% of diagnosed).

§        About 300-340 new cases of HIV/AIDS are reported for Middle Tennessee annually.  About 68% of these individuals live in Davidson County.

§        In recent years, African Americans and Hispanics have been 51% of those diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in Middle Tennessee (AA 45%, H 6%).  They have been 59% of those diagnosed in Davidson County (AA 53%, H 6%).

§        Women have been 23% of those recently diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in Middle Tennessee and in Davidson County specifically.

§        13% of new cases (both in the region and in Davidson County specifically) are among teenagers and youth age 15-24. 

§        Older Middle Tennesseans are not immune.  About 5-7% of new cases are among people age 55 or older.

§        While injection drug use accounts for 8-9% of new cases, unsafe heterosexual behavior today accounts for 25-28%.

§        Unsafe homosexual behavior accounts for 49-51% of new cases, especially among young men and men of color, still the most prevalent reported risk behavior.

§        The number of AIDS-related deaths has risen since 2000 after falling and being held in check for several years in the late 1990s, although the number fluctuates from year to year (from a high of 143 to a low of 82).  Last year a person with HIV disease died on average every 4-5 days in Middle Tennessee.  

     From data provided by the Tennessee Department of Health.

Compiled by Nashville CARES.