Whereas from 2006 through 2007, newly diagnosed cases of
HIV increased 25 percent among individuals over the age of 50;
Whereas since 2003, the number of women 50 years of age
and older who have been newly diagnosed with HIV has increased 40
percent;
Whereas individuals over the age of 50 made up 15 percent
of newly diagnosed cases of HIV in 2007 and almost 17 percent in the first half
of 2008;
Whereas the number of older individuals with HIV is
expected to increase substantially by 2015, with half of all individuals with
HIV in the United States being over the age of 50;
Whereas few physicians are taught to start conversations
with their elderly patients about sex or HIV education and are less likely to
offer testing to older individuals;
Whereas the number of newly diagnosed HIV infections in
older adults was 12 times higher among Blacks and 5 times higher among Latinos
than Whites;
Whereas data collection should include an emphasis on
breaking down age groups, tracking risk factors for infection for older adults,
and behavioral data so the National Institutes of Health can better grasp what
intervention is necessary or effective; and
Whereas more clinical research is needed for people over
50 living with or at risk for HIV, as it is imperative to gain a greater
understanding about how treatments interact with aging bodies: Now, therefore,
be it
That it is the sense of the House of
Representatives that the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention should expand and intensify programs of research
and related activities regarding the population of older individuals living
with or at risk for HIV.