Heterosexual AIDS Cases Up Sharply, But Numbers Remain Small

BETHESDA, Md--As expected, the number of reported AIDS cases increasedsubstantially in 1993 due to the expansion of the surveillancecase definition in January of that year, but an adjusted analysisshows only a slight overall increase.

This analysis showed a 1993 incidence increase of 3% (62,000 casesin 1993 versus 60,000 in 1992). However, a slight decrease (1%)was seen in homosexual/bisexual men, while the AIDS incidencefor intravenous drug users increased by 8%, and for heterosexualsby 23% (MMWR 43:826-831, 1994).

Still, the number of persons infected through heterosexual contactremains small (7,500 in 1993), compared with the number infectedthrough homosexual sex (30,300) or IV drug use (17,800).

The report also showed significant geographic differences in AIDSincidence trends. Although the number of cases contracted throughheterosexual sex rose in all four regions of the country, theincreases varied widely, from 11% in the South to 39% in the Northeast.

The incidence among IV drug users increased in the Northeast,where most lived when diagnosed, but remained stable in the Southand West. The number of homosexual cases decreased in the Westwhile remaining stable in the Northeast, South, and Midwest.