DECEMBER 1st is World AIDS Day.
The state of black health has mounted under wide concern among health experts and community advocates alike, who propose that more people of color are subjected to the HIV/AIDS disease than any other ethnic group. For more than 30 years, HIV/AIDS has afflicted older and younger generations in the United States and abroad. But recent studies prove that the epidemic has reached epic proportions in the African-American community, where it has impacted the lives of women, men and children. According the Center for Disease Control, more than 12 percent of the black population has accounted for nearly half of AIDS-related deaths in the family. A simple course of action and awareness could save you or someone’s life today with these vital facts.
Take a look:
1. Studies prove that one in 16 black gay men will become infected with HIV in their lifetime. The rates are nearly as high in some African nations. According the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it is estimated that new infections have attacked men, aged 13-29 more than any other demographic.
2. In 2006, black women were included in the new HIV infection rate. They were 15 times more likely to have the disease than their white counterparts, and nearly four times that of Latina women according to Minority Women’s Health.
3. Some black women have faced uncertainties in the study as well. More than 1 in 30 black women will be infected with HIV at some point in their lives, according to TheBody.com. The growing concern in the welfare of African American women is likely to come from sexual promiscuity, unprotected sex or sharing unclean needles stemming from drug use.
4. The African-American community is consistently ranked for the most sexually transmitted diseases than any other race/ethnic group in the United States, according to TheBody.com. In particular, the STD count raises concerns for future HIV studies.
5. It is a fact that higher HIV risks are concentrated in low-income areas, where people with inadequate health care coverage, substance abuse or incarcerations are predisposed to the disease, according to Avert.org. A person’s socioeconomic status also matters a great deal among unprotected male sexual partners.
6. The Centers For Disease Control and Prevention estimate about 12 percent of the African American population account for 48 percent of AIDS cases in 2006. And these numbers were reflected from the national average (1.1 million people were diagnosed with the disease).
7. Geographically, AIDS has become more widespread in the Southern, Northeast and West Coast urban parts of United States. The higher proportion of cases occur within the black and Latino communities, as indicated in Avert.org.
8. In a 2009 survey conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation, there is a shared belief among African-Americans who blame the government for their lack of initiative on the state of HIV/AIDS-related cases. In addition, it was shown that 33 percent of black communities were unaware of campaigns or advocacy groups who support HIV/AIDS prevention.
