MapHIV.org

A new atlas has popped up on the interweb, an interactive map bring the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the US into easy-to-see and simple graphics for easy comparison. Granted, it takes a little digging to get the detailed information, but it's an excellent exercise in comparisons, especially regionally.

Overall, Ohio tends to fair green, meaning that we tend to have lower overall HIV infection rates (per 100,000 of the population) than some parts of the country. Hamilton County, as well, tends to fair better than either Cleveland or Columbus. The picture above represents one of the higher rates you can find in HamCo -- eclipsed only by our AIDS rates amongst African Americans.

As a whole, the South is drowning in HIV/AIDS, outside of those traditional epicenters of urban America, a fact that shouldn't surprise anyone, but always seems to. A CNN story links the disparity to stigma, lack of testing sites, a decentralized population, lack of HIV-knowledgeable healthcare professionals, and difficulties in education. Georgia tends to do the worst.

Check it out -- MapHIV.org. Worth a few minutes of your time today. It's produced by the National Minority Quality Forum, an organization dedicated to making sure minority populations receive the highest level of service in the US healthcare system.