Disturbing Statistics

For black Americans, it has become clear that HIV does not discriminate when it comes to racial background. ' Of the estimated 40,000 new HIV infections each year in the United States, more than 50% occur among African-Americans. ' African-American men accounted for 43% of HIV cases reported among men in 2001, and African-American women accounted for nearly 64% of HIV cases reported among women that year. ' AIDS is the number 1 cause of death for black adults age 25 to 44, before heart disease, cancer, and homicide. ' One in 50 black men is HIV-positive. One in 160 black women is HIV-positive. ' Black senior citizens represent more than 50% of HIV cases among people over age 55. ' Injection-drug use accounts for 43% of infections among black women and 38% among black men. Many women contract HIV through sex with an injection-drug user. ' Although only 15% of the U.S. adolescent population is black, more than 60% of AIDS cases reported in 1999 among 13- to 19-year-olds were among blacks. ' Black children represent 62% of all reported pediatric AIDS cases. [SOURCE: MINORITY HEALTH CARE COMMUNICATIONS WITH DATA PROVIDED BY THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION AND THE HARVARD AIDS INSTITUTE]