1 Poverty and HIV/AIDS in East Texas

Compared to the rest of the country, Texas has very high rates of HIV/AIDS, but the disease is not uniformly distributed across Texas. East Texas has the highest rates and the virus is spreading more rapidly here than any other region (Texas Department of State Health Services, 2010).Nationally, high HIV/AIDS rates are highest in areas with extreme poverty and low socioeconomic status. In fact, the CDC asserts that HIV infection is analogous to poverty (CDC, 2011). This paper seeks to understand the spatial distribution of HIV/AIDS in East Texas and analyze the explanatory factors. Specifically, it will focus on the role of poverty in HIV infection in urban and rural areas of east Texas