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Guest Editorial
Janet C. Cleveland
Guest Editorial Archives
Friday, March 4, 2005; Page 20
For African Americans, Stopping AIDS Starts with Us
You don't have to be HIV-positive or know someone with AIDS to recognize the devastating impact that HIV is having on African Americans across the United States. More African Americans are living with and dying from AIDS than any other population in the United States. February 7, National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness & Information Day, should remind us to take action against HIV - to get educated about HIV, get tested for the virus, and to get involved in our community's fight to prevent new infections.
African Americans are bearing the burden of HIV infection and AIDS more than any other racial or ethnic group, with Black gay and bisexual men and heterosexual women especially hard hit. The latest data show that Blacks accounted for more than half of all new HIV diagnoses in 32 states from 2000 to 2003, while making up just 13 percent of the population in those states. In 2003, Black men had the highest HIV/AIDS rate of any group - nearly seven times the rate of White men. Among Black women during that same year, the rate was 18 times higher than among White women. Additionally, Black women accounted for 69 percent of all diagnoses among women from 2000 to 2003.
Although a person's sexual and drug-using behaviors put him or her at risk for acquiring HIV, there are other factors that make many African Americans more vulnerable to HIV. Poverty and inadequate access to healthcare play a significant role. So do high rates of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), some of which can make a person more vulnerable to HIV infection, and can increase his or her chances of transmitting HIV to others.
Silence about HIV can also contribute to the disproportionate impact of this disease. Surveys have shown that more than four in ten African Americans have never discussed HIV with their sexual partners. Not talking about HIV can discourage people from recognizing risk or getting tested. Denial and discrimination in regard to HIV must be addressed in the African American community if we are to prevent new infections.
Today, though, more African Americans are realizing that we have the power to turn the tide of the epidemic. Surveys show that we are more likely than any other group to say HIV is the nation's number one health problem. You can exercise your power to stop HIV by taking some simple steps.
First, learn more about HIV. Too many African Americans don't know what places a person at risk for HIV infection. Learn the basics and recognize the impact that HIV is having in our communities. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National AIDS Hotline at 1-800-342-2437 is a good place to get accurate information.
Next, get tested! If you think that you, or your sexual partner, are at risk of infection, get an HIV test. In addition to doctors' offices, hundreds of community-based organizations and health departments around the country offer testing and counseling - often free of charge. Whether you are infected or not, prevention services are available that can help you reduce your risk and stay healthy. To find out where you can get tested, visit www.hivtest.org or call the hotline listed above.
Third, get involved - and start talking. Attend future National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness & Information Day events. A list of events can be found at www.blackaidsday.org. Even if February 7 passed you by, you can volunteer in community or church groups to help stop the spread of HIV and support those who are living with HIV/AIDS. Help erase the stigma of HIV by talking about it openly. Start by discussing the importance of HIV prevention with your family and friends. This can make a difference.
African-American communities are certainly not alone in the fight against HIV. In my work at CDC, I help direct the U.S. government's efforts to support prevention programs in communities across the country. On the South Side of Chicago, for example, CDC is working with Roseland Christian Health Ministries to help African Americans get counseled and tested for HIV and to help those with HIV take steps to protect others from infection. And in Baltimore, we're helping to support the Sisters Informing Sisters about Topics on AIDS (SISTA) project, which enables African-American women at high risk for HIV to gain much needed support from their peers to help reduce risky behaviors.
During the years that I have worked in HIV/AIDS prevention and traveled around the country, I've seen enough of the devastation from AIDS to know that African Americans have no time to lose. We must all act to end the grip of the epidemic on our people. If each of us does our part to get educated, get tested, and get involved, we can win the fight against AIDS. It's a victory that can't come soon enough.
Janet C. Cleveland is the Deputy Director for Prevention Programs of the Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. |
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