AIDS Cases Missed In D.C.

The District's system for reporting AIDS-related deaths missed more than half of the fatalities that occurred from 2000 to 2005, according to a new analysis.

Of the 2,460 deaths from AIDS-related illnesses during the six-year period, 1,337 had not been reported because the city's system for tracking the toll of the disease was inadequate, according to the analysis by the D.C. Department of Health and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

At least 12,500 District residents have AIDS, giving it one of the highest rates in the country. Officials estimate that between 3 and 5 percent of people in the District are infected, twice the rate of New York, for example.

The new analysis indicates that the AIDS epidemic may be taking a far greater toll on the city than officials had realized.