The AIDS rate doubled last year in Baton Rouge, La., fell by one-third in Dallas and held steady in New York at the highest level in the nation, the government said Thursday.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it could not immediately explain the ups and downs but said the increases do not necessarily mean the disease is on the rise.
The numbers reflect all cases of AIDS that existed in those cities in 1996, not just the number of newly diagnosed cases. New cases are a better indicator of whether the disease is spreading.
Behind New York City on the list are Miami and Jersey City, which also were among the highest in 1995. San Francisco, which had the second highest rate in 1995, fell to fourth.
New York had 120.1 cases per 100,000 people in 1996, compared with the 121.4 cases per 100,000 in 1995. Miami’s rate of 99.4 was down from 114.8, and Jersey City reported 97.7 in 1996, compared with 138.2 the year before.
Chicago was ranked far down the list, between Nashville and Louisville, with 23.8 AIDS cases per 100,000 people in 1996 and 24.8 in 1995.
