About 600 U.S.V.I. Residents Know They Have H.I.V.; Another 600 Don't, C.D.C. Says

ST. CROIX -- About 600 residents in the U.S. Virgin Islands are aware of their H.I.V. positive status, with only a quarter of that number currently receiving care. Another 600 are infected but are unaware, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention statistics, relayed to media by Shamari Haynes, a C.D.C. outreach specialist working at Frederiksted Health Care, Inc. The numbers were revealed upon request as part of Frederiksted Health Care's National H.I.V. Testing Day, held annually to help raise awareness and bring to the fore the importance of knowing one's status. The breakdown in numbers did not include a per-island count, Mr. Haynes said; a critical statistic that could have given a clearer understanding about the impact of H.I.V. in the territory. Some universal statistics include higher H.I.V. infection rates among Latinos, Blacks, Gays and bisexual men. It’s been scientifically proven that anal sex is riskier than vaginal sex when it comes to H.I.V. In fa...