An estimated 1.1 million Americans have contracted the AIDS virus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Thursday.

Based on 2006 data, the new infection rate shows that Americans living with HIV are more and more numerous as individuals become newly infected. Previously, based on 2003 data, the government agency said that about 994,000 U.S. citizens were infected with the human immunodeficiency virus.

The report also disclosed that African-Americans of both sexes, as well as gay and bisexual men are most affected by the pandemic. Blacks make up 12 percent of the U.S. population and 46 percent of those infected with the virus that causes AIDS.

Starting 2003, the rate of new infections has remained at a steady level, the CDC report concluded. Furthermore, people with the disease live more due to advanced treatments.

About one in five Americans weren’t aware of the fact that they were infected with the AIDS virus. This means 232,700 of the 1.1 million people who contracted the virus. Given these figures, I would say mentioning the total United States population – of 300 million – is quite important.

The report also said how people living with HIV became infected. 48% of them are men who have sex with men (MSM), 72% of women with HIV and 13% of men with the same virus were infected through heterosexual intercourse. Also 19% of Americans living with HIV were infected through injection drug use.

These estimates were published today in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Worldwide, about 33 million people have the AIDS virus and 25 million have died of it.