CDC report shows rise in number of Americans dealing with HIV

NEW YORK The number of people living in the United States with HIV increased by 11 percent between 2003 and 2006, according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

But this doesn’t indicate an increase in infections; rather, it?s because treatments have prolonged the lives of patients, according to the study, published Friday in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Between 2003 and 2006, the number of people in the United States living with HIV increased from 994,000 to 1.1 million.

About half of patients were men who have sex with men, while about 18 percent were intravenous drug users. About half of new infections come from people who don’t know they are infected.