HIV/AIDS Rate Reaches Three Percent in Nation's Capitol

According to a recent report released by Mayor Adrian M. Fenty, the 82-page report states that approximately three percent of the population in Washington, DC has been affected with HIV or AIDS and has been labeled as a "severe epidemic."  According to a recent Washington post article, this rate is even higher than West Africa and is "on par with Uganda and some parts of Kenya."

According to the report reasons for the increase in the incidence is a result of three modes of transmission: men having sex with men, heterosexual sex, and infection through drug use. 

Although South Asians are not directly impacted by this increase, how does and will this affect South Asians living in the area?

2009 Asian American Health Conference - A Time for Change: Transforming Opportunities into Action

Location: Gaithersburg, MD

Date: Wednesday, May 20, 2009

The Asian American Health Initiative of the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services will be hosting the Asian American Health Conference - A Time for Change: Transforming Opportunities into Action.

There is no cost to attend and registration is required.

For more information regarding this event, please visit: http://www.aahiinfo.org/conference09

2009 South Asian Summit

Location: Washington, DC

Dates: April 24-26, 2009

The 2009 South Asian Summit is hosted by South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT) and the South Asian Law Students Association at the Washington College of Law, American University, as part of the Founders' Day Celebration (a series of events over a 3-month period to commemorate the founding of the Washington College of Law).  The Summit is an opportunity for organizational leaders and community members to engage with policymakers as well as government agencies and to participate in a learning environment to strategize around best practices, common principles, and emerging issues of concern in our community and country using a progressive, social justice framework. 

To register for the event, please visit: http://www.saalt.org/pages/South-Asian-Summit.html

New Survey Results Show Burden of Diabetes

Diabetes is a chronic disease that disproportionately affects South Asians.  The National Institutes of Health (NIH) released a national study that showed in the United States, nearly 13 percent of adults age 20 and older have diabetes, but 40 percent of them have not been diagnosed, according to epidemiologists from the NIH and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), whose study includes newly available data from an Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT).  Diabetes is especially common in the elderly: nearly one-third of those age 65 and older have the disease.  An additional 30 percent of adults have pre-diabetes, a condition marked by elevated blood sugar that is not yet in the diabetic range. 

For more information regarding this report, please visit: http://diabetes.org/diabetescare