On this National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (Monday, Feb. 7), we are reminded that African Americans, more than any other race or ethnicity, face the most severe rates of HIV in the United States. Blacks make up just 14 percent of the U.S. population, yet account for almost half of those living and dying with HIV and AIDS in this country.
Within the black community, the faces of HIV are young and old; gay and straight; male and female. Two leading CDC experts are available between now and February 7 to discuss the toll HIV takes on black communities and what steps we can all take toward ending this epidemic.
Joining the discussion will be:
Kevin Fenton, M.D., Ph.D., FFPH
Director of CDC’s National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention
Donna McCree, Ph.D., MPH, R.Ph.
Associate Director, Health Equity, CDC’s Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention
- 1 in 16 black men will be diagnosed with HIV in his lifetime, as will 1 in 32 black women.
- Nearly a quarter of a million African Americans with AIDS have died since the beginning of the epidemic.
- Among blacks, gay and bis*xual men are the most affected, followed by heteros*xual women.
- While research shows African Americans do not take greater s*xual risks, a range of factors, such as poverty, limited access to health care and higher HIV and STD prevalence place African Americans at a greater risk for infection.
- Recent scientific breakthroughs, coupled with stability and declines in the number of new infections among African Americans provide new hope that we can end this epidemic.
Posted By: Reginald Culpepper
Friday, February 4th 2011 at 2:07PM
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