12.1%

Rate of HIV infection in heterosexual African American women in the poorest neighborhoods of Washington, D.C. — a near doubling of the 6.3% infection rate two years ago — according to a study released by the D.C. Department of Health. The spike reflects wider testing among people who were previously unaware of their HIV status and possibly an increasing rate of new infection in this high-risk population, health officials said. Overall, data show that the rate of HIV has dropped in D.C. over the last four years — to 2.7%, which is still among the highest for any U.S. city — and that HIV-positive people are receiving care more quickly. [via The Washington Post]

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