53082457

LifeWalk is the annual signature event of AIDS Arms, Inc. -a nonprofit organization committed to assisting individuals in accessing the health care, resources and support necessary to successfully mange the challenges of living with HIV/AIDS. We will be celebrating the 18th year of LifeWalk. Save the date October 5, 2008 at Lee Park.Please visit our web site to learn: http://www.lifewalk.orgFacts about HIV/AIDSNearly one million people in the United States are living with HIV/AIDS (992,000), with approximately 4,700 new infections each year. In Dallas, approximately 15,000 are currently living with HIV/AIDS. The Centers for Disease Control estimates an additional 30% are infected but do not know their status.AIDS is the leading cause of death for Blacks between the ages of 25 and 44, and the third leading cause of death for Hispanics in the same age group.The United States has the fastest growing female HIV infection rate in the world.HIV/AIDS affects Black people, more than any other group in Dallas and across the country. Hispanics are hard hit by the epidemic today and has become the fastedt growing population in terms of new infections.Dallas is the third largest city and the second highest HIV infection rate of any city in Texas. While Blacks account for 20% of the Dallas census population, they account for nearly 50% of all new infections. Over 1,300 new HIV cases were identified in 2003 and 1,271 were identifies in 2002.Black male youth and Black women account for the fastest growing groups of new infections in the Dallas area. Black women account for 58% of all new female infections in Dallas. Black and Hispanic male youth account for 48% of all new male infections.Nearly 20,000 pepole have died in Dallas from AIDS since 1984. 185 individuals in Dallas died in 2003 from AIDS, an additional 220 died in 2004. Death rates are slowly rising due to the HIV virus' ability to mutate and become resistant to medications.Blacks and Hispanics have the lowest level of access to care than any other group- And they enter health care at late stages in the desease causing many complications in controling the disease and reducing the risk to other people.Each month approximately 120 HIV+ men are released from prison to the Dallas County area. Research shows that within 48 hours of release, the majority of these men will have unproted sex with at least one partner.Medication resistance is the biggest challenge facing our health care system today. When HIV+ individuals do not take their medications as directed, their options for treatment are very limited and sometimes non-existent. In additon, when these individuals do not practice safe sex, they are infecting their partners with a resistant strain that will not respond to treatments...