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WILLISTON, N.D. (AP) — While North Dakota has one of the lowest HIV prevalence rates in the nation, the number of cases in the state has grown significantly in just a few years, mirroring rapid population growth as workers from around the country flock to jobs in the state's oil boom.
In 2007, just 91 HIV patients and 75 AIDS patients were living in North Dakota, according to Department of Health statistics. By 2013, the number of HIV patients had more than doubled to 230 and the number of AIDS patients living in the state had grown to 127.
AIDS is a disease that weakens the immune system and HIV is the virus that causes AIDS.
North Dakota Department of Health HIV/AIDS program manager Lindsey VanderBusch said there have been 58 new HIV cases recorded so far this year — either new diagnoses or people with the virus moving to North Dakota from elsewhere. This year's figure already matches last year's total, which was the highest number of new HIV or AIDS cases in state history.
VanderBusch said that in the past most cases were focused in the eastern part of the state where the majority of North Dakota's population lives — in cities such as Fargo and Grand Forks. And out of those cases, she added many were people born outside of the United States who had immigrated to the country.
But the demographics of HIV and AIDS are changing in North Dakota.
In 2009, VanderBusch said, the western part of the state represented only about 10 percent of new HIV cases.
Now 35 to 40 percent of new cases are in the state's northwest, where an oil boom has attracted tens of thousands of workers from across the country.
While the majority of North Dakota's new cases are people moving to the state, an increase of drug use and prostitution that came with the oil boom could add to the problem. The state has also seen a rise in sexually transmitted diseases like hepatitis C, gonorrhea and syphilis as populations have grown.
But despite the increase, VanderBusch stressed that the number of HIV and AIDS cases in the state is still extremely low.
"So while it seems like a sharp increase — it is for us — but all in all it's definitely not unexpected I guess in terms of how we're seeing our population grow and change," she said. "We are still very very low in terms of prevalence and incidents of HIV compared to other states," she said.
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