In NYC, new HIV infections are three times national rate

New data indicate New York City residents are contracting the virus that causes AIDS at three times the national rate.

The city health department said Wednesday that almost 4,800 New Yorkers were infected with HIV in 2006. The number represents 72 in every 100,000 residents, compared to a national rate of 23 per 100,000.

The figures are the first to pinpoint when people became infected, not just when they were diagnosed. Better blood tests have helped make that possible.

In NYC, new HIV infections are three times national rate