CDC: AIDS deaths plateau

(CNN) -- The number of AIDS-related deaths in the United States continues to level off after a steep drop in the 1990s, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday.

"The marked decline in deaths we saw when new AIDS treatments first became available appears to have stabilized," CDC director Jeffrey Koplan said in a statement.

Recent statistics underscore a trend that began in 1998, when the rate of AIDS cases and deaths slowed considerably compared to the previous two years, the CDC said. The drop was attributed to successful antiretroviral therapy.

About 4,000 AIDS deaths and 10,000 AIDS cases have been reported each quarter since mid-1998, the CDC said.

Officials said new strategies are needed to further reduce AIDS cases and deaths and prevent a return to higher rates of infection.

The CDC said several factors might be to blame for the change:

-- Some people put off getting tested for HIV, preventing early treatment.

-- Those who do get treatment may experience negative side effects and simply stop taking the medications.

-- Some develop a resistance to the drugs, making them ineffective.

-- Lack of access to adequate health care prevents some people from learning about the disease or getting proper medication.

The CDC, which is holding its second National HIV Prevention Conference this week in Atlanta, Georgia, did report progress in cases of infants contracting HIV from their mothers. Those numbers dropped 84 percent, from a high of 901 in 1992 to 156 in 1999.

Researchers credit the increasing number of women being tested for HIV during pregnancy and therapy for HIV-infected women.