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The Facts Speak, HIV among African-Americans

August 30, 2006

African-Americans make up 13 percent of the United States population. This small percentage of the nation is disproportionately affected by disease and other health issues including HIV/AIDS. Drastic changes in sexual behavior must be made to stop this epidemic.

A special edition of Primetime on ABC News highlighted how the AIDS epidemic is spreading fast and is highly ignored by our government. The following facts show how bad the problem has gotten:

1. African-American women accounted for two-thirds (67%) of new AIDS cases among women in 2003, white women accounted for 15% and Latinas 16%.
2. African-Americans contract HIV at eight times the rate of whites.
3. HIV/AIDS is the leading cause of death for African-American women between the ages 25-44. This has been the case for the past eleven years.
4. African-American women are 23 times more likely to contract HIV than white women.
5. HIV infection rates among prisoners are five times higher than the general population. HIV testing among inmates is VOLUNTARY. Many men go into the prison system HIV negative and return to their community HIV positive.
6. African-American teens (ages 13-19) accounted for 65% of new AIDS cases reported among teens in 2002.
7. In 2003, over 51% of estimated African-Americans living with AIDS and 55% of the newly reported AIDS cases among African-Americans occurred in the South.
8. Men who have sex with men account for approximately 42% of all new AIDS diagnoses in 2003 in the U.S.

The list could continue for multiple pages. African-American women are more likely to be infected through heterosexual transmission. A study of six major U.S. cities found that among MSM (men who have sex with men) almost a third in the 23-29 age range were already infected with HIV, compared to seven percent of white men. The Primetime special noted that African-American men are twice as likely to have multiple female sexual partners. This is why it is crucially important to get tested and know your status. And it's even more important to know the HIV status of any and all sexual partners.

Knowledge is power. Get Informed. Get Tested. Protect Yourself.

Posted at 07:13 PM by Shantrie in the HIV & AIDS category/ies.

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