Request Demo
Webinars On-Demand
Press
Events


By

X

National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day - February 7

National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NBHAAD) is Monday, February 7. Black communities have made great progress in reducing HIV. Yet racism, discrimination, and mistrust in the health care system may affect whether Black people seek or receive HIV prevention services. These issues may also reduce the likelihood of engaging in HIV treatment and care.

To continue to reduce the burden of HIV and other health risks, people need adequate housing and transportation, employment, access to culturally competent health services that are free of stigma and discrimination, and more.

Together, when we work to overcome structural barriers to HIV testing, prevention, and treatment and to stop HIV stigma, we help reduce HIV-related disparities and health inequities in Black communities.

 

HIV and African American People

Black/African American people account for a higher proportion of new HIV diagnoses and people with HIV, compared to other races and ethnicities. In 2018, Black/African American people accounted for 13% of the US population but 42% (16,002) of the 37,968 new HIV diagnoses in the United States and dependent areas.

  • At the end of 2018, an estimated 1.2 million people had HIV. Of those, 482,900 were among Black/African American people.
  • 6 out of 7 Black/African American people knew they had the virus.
  • Compared to all people with HIV, Black/African American people have lower viral suppression rates. More work is needed to increase these rates. For every 100 Black/African American people in 2018:
    • 63 received some HIV care
    • 48 were retained in care
    • 51 were virally suppressed

      For comparison, for every 100 people overall with HIV, 65 received some HIV care, 50 were retained in care, and 56 were virally suppressed.
  • It is important for Black/African American people to know their HIV status so they can take medicine to treat HIV if they have the virus. Taking HIV medicine every day can make the viral load undetectable. People who get and keep an undetectable viral load (or remain virally suppressed) can stay healthy for many years and have effectively no risk of transmitting HIV to their sex partners.
  • In 2018, there were 6,678 deaths among Black/African American people with diagnosed HIV in the US and dependent areas. These deaths could be from any cause.

 

Prevention Challenges

  • Some African American people with HIV are unaware they have it. People who don’t know they have HIV can’t get the care and treatment they need and may transmit HIV to others without knowing it.
  • HIV stigma is common among people with HIV and negatively affects their quality of life. Stigma and fear of discrimination may prevent African American people with HIV from getting the care they need or disclosing their status.
  • Racism and discrimination and mistrust in the health care system may influence whether African American people seek or receive HIV prevention services. These issues may also reduce the likelihood of engaging in HIV treatment and care.
  • Homophobia can make it difficult for some African American people to be open about risk-taking behaviors, which can increase stress, limit social support, and negatively affect health. These factors may prevent some African American people from accessing HIV prevention and care services.
  • African American men and women have higher rates of some sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) than other racial/ethnic communities. Having another STD can increase a person’s chance of getting or transmitting HIV.
  • African American people experiencing poverty may find it harder to get HIV prevention and care services. The social and economic issues associated with poverty—including limited access to high-quality health care, housing, and HIV prevention education—directly and indirectly increase the risk for HIV and affect the health of people with and at risk for HIV. These factors may explain why African American people have worse outcomes on the continuum of HIV care, including lower rates of viral suppression.

 

What the CDC is Currently Doing

The CDC is pursuing a high-impact HIV prevention approach to maximize the effectiveness of HIV prevention interventions and strategies. Funding state, territorial, and local health departments and community-based organizations (CBOs) to develop and implement tailored programs is CDC’s largest investment in HIV prevention. This includes longstanding successful programs and new efforts funded through the Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U.S. initiative. In addition to funding health departments and CBOs, CDC is also strengthening the HIV prevention workforce and developing HIV communication resources for consumers and health care providers.

The Office of Infectious Disease and HIV/AIDS Policy (OIDP) will host a Live with Leadership webinar on Monday, February 7 at 2:00 pm. The session will focus on how communities, the Ending the HIV Epidemic initiative, and the National HIV/AIDS Strategy prioritizes ending the HIV epidemic in Black communities.



Sources:

https://www.hiv.gov/topics/blackawarenessday

https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/library/awareness/nbhaad.html

https://hivgov-prod-v3.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/NHAS-2022-2025.pdf

Filed Under: Events, awareness, AIDS, event