AIDS IN COLORADO-SPRINGS - IS THERE AN EPIDEMIC

Objective: To analyze trends and patterns of HIV infection in a medium -sized community in the United States. Methods: Surveillance for AIDS and HIV infection was conducted by private physicians, military and pu blic clinics, and blood and plasma donation centers. HIV-positive indi viduals were contacted and asked to refer their sex and injection part ners for HIV-antibody testing. Prostitutes, injecting drug users and t heir sex partners were studied. Selected physicians were surveyed to a ssess under-reporting. Results: The 740 HIV-infected adults (67 with d ocumented seroconversion) included 506 with no evidence of AIDS, 58 li ving with AIDS, and 176 who had died. Of the 126 patients cared for by local physicians, 107 (85%) had been reported. No major changes in be havioral risk factors or increases in the number of HIV-infected indiv iduals occurred between 1986 (128) and 1992 (95). Conclusions: Charact eristics of individuals at risk and incidence of HIV infection have re mained stable from 1981 to 1992. Analysis of data from the comprehensi ve surveillance and control program established in Colorado Springs in response to the AIDS epidemic suggests that, unlike the nation's epic enters, HIV incidence in this location is neither widespread nor rapid ly increasing. The age distribution of reported cases is slowly increa sing, and the ratio of newly reported cases to deaths is declining, im plying stable or decreasing incidence; deaths may soon exceed new case s. Using data routinely available to public health officials, we concl ude that the epidemiologic picture of AIDS - like the clinical one - m ust be heterogenous, and that rational planning for the impact of AIDS should be based on the collection and analysis of local data.