sunday reads

HIV epidemic 40% higher than thought

The U.S. HIV epidemic is sharply worse than previously estimated, with thousands more people infected than realized, according to a new government way of calculating cases, officials said Saturday.

The new count shows the number of new HIV infections was closer to 56,300 per year than the 40,000 per year previously reported -- a 41 percent increase for the 15 years up to and including 2006, said the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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