Monday, March 25, 2019

Truest statement of the week II


Many believe the HIV epidemic in the United States is nearing an end, in part because increased funding, targeted prevention efforts, and better treatment have resulted in drastic reductions in new HIV-positive cases. Even President Trump, in his recent State of the Union address, discussed his goal of ending HIV by 2030. I am an HIV researcher, and I can say this is totally unrealistic, especially for Black Americans.
Despite comprising only 12 percent of the overall U.S. population, Black Americans represent 43 percent of all persons with newly diagnosed HIV and 42 percent of all people living with HIV. Black Americans living with HIV are nearly 10 times more likely to be diagnosed with AIDS and over six times more likely to die of complications of AIDS than their white counterparts.

Black Americans are also at a higher risk for other health conditions, which can make managing HIV infection more difficult. For instance, Black Americans are twice as likely to die from heart disease and 50 percent more likely to have high blood pressure than whites.

-- Thurka Sangaramoorthy, "The US Is Failing Black Women With HIV" (BLACK AGENDA REPORT).