South leads the nation in new HIV infections

The Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell area ranked fifth among metropolitan areas in the nation for its rate of new HIV diagnoses in 2013, the year for which the most recent data is available, federal records show.

Further, the South — defined broadly by as the District of Columbia and 16 states, including Georgia — ranks first in the nation for its rate of new HIV cases. In 2013, the South had a rate of 20.5 HIV infections per 100,000 residents, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

HIV IN GEORGIA: BY THE NUMBERS

» MAP: View our interactive map detailing HIV rates in each Georgia county for 2013

» CHART: See how the number of new HIV cases diagnosed in 2013 compares with the HIV rate per county 

» TIMELINE: HIV through the years

The South’s struggle with HIV is “a public health emergency,” said Dr. Patrick Sullivan, an epidemiology professor at Emory University. He and other experts cited numerous reasons for it, especially poverty. The South is home to the nation’s largest number of people living in poverty. Many lack health insurance. At the same time, people with HIV and AIDS are now living longer than ever in the U.S. because of better treatments.