National Black HIV/Aids Awareness Day Stresses Testing
National Black HIV/Aids Awareness day, an annual initiative organized by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, was held Monday, Feb. 7 to encourage Americans to be informed about HIV and get tested.
“By race/ethnicity, African Americans face the most severe burden of HIV in the United States,” the CDC said in an online report released Monday.
While African-Americans make up about 13 percent of the U.S. population, they constitute nearly half of new HIV cases, the organization said, adding that the gulf was not caused by race but by social barriers.
“Frequently, we know that if you don’t have the means to see a doctor, you may not get an HIV test or treatment early in the disease cycle, when treatment can be most effective,” the CDC said. “In 2007, nearly 1 in 5 African Americans were without health insurance versus just over 10% of whites. This disparity places African Americans at greater risk for late detection of a number of diseases.”
Many clinics all over the country offered free, confidential HIV counseling and testing in observance of the event. Community-based organizations also sponsored educational forums to raise awareness of the devastating disease.
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