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75% of New Yorkers Living with HIV/AIDS Are 40 or Older and More than a Third Are over 50

July 2010

The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Reports 75% of New Yorkers Living with HIV/AIDS Are 40 or Older and More than a Third Are over 50.

Women over 50 comprise growing percentage of new HIV diagnoses among older adults.

HIV/AIDS and the risky behaviors that spread it are often associated with youth. However, in the wake of the White House unveiling its first formal national HIV/AIDS strategy, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene reports that 30 years into New York City’s epidemic older adults now account for a growing percentage of people living with the disease. Some 75% of HIV-positive New Yorkers are now 40 or older, and more than a third are 50 or older. Younger adults still account for most new infections – 17% of the city’s new HIV diagnoses occur in older adults each year. But, as people with HIV live longer, the number of HIV-positive New Yorkers aged 50 and older continues to grow.

HIV/AIDS in NYC: A Snapshot

For more information, please visit the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene website at: http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/pr2010/pr033-10.shtml