The Boston Channel recently published an article discussing AIDS being the leading cause of death in African American Women in Massachusetts. The article included the results of a study provided the Department of Public Health In Massachusetts. One in four of all of the new HIV/AIDS cases in Chicago are women. African American women in Massachusetts account for over half of the one in four new HIV/AIDS cases.

Read more at The Boston Channel.

30 Years Ago: First cases of AIDS reported

On June 5, 1981, the first cases of an unknown infection were reported. Within just a few months of the first reports of this unknown virus, the Center For Disease Control declared it an epidemic and named it AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome), stemming from HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus).

Read more on the NBC Bay Area website.

Better HIV Prevention Intervention Needed For Juvenile Offenders

The Bradley Hasbro Children’s Research Center would like to implement more Prevention Intervention for Young Offenders. According to the BHCRC, Young Offenders are more at risk for contracting sexually transmitted diseases due to being sexually active at an earlier age and not utilizing protection.

Read More at the Science Daily.

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Snapshot of HIV/AIDS and Black America:

• African Americans are only 12 percent of the United States population, but account for almost half of all new HIV/AIDS infections.

• Since the epidemic started, almost 590,000 people have died from related complications in the U.S. 40% of them were Black.

• Rate of AIDS diagnosis for Black women is approximately 23 times the rate for white women and 4 times the rate for Latina women

• Black teens (ages 13–19) represent only 15 percent of all teenagers in the United States but are 68% of new AIDS cases among teens

In addition to this, it’s been proven that Black people with HIV live shorter lives than people of other ethnic backgrounds who are infected.

For these reasons and countless more, it’s important for us to stand strong against the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the Black community. Prevention of the disease is priority, and efforts are affected by many factors:

• Poverty – A quarter of African Americans live at or below the poverty level. This causes a lack of access to good healthcare, which then puts people’s well-being at risk.

• Stigma – The stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS in the Black community prevents openness and drives people to keep their statuses under wraps. For others, stigma and fear keeps them from even getting tested.

• Sexually transmitted diseases – Already having certain STDs increases one’s susceptibility to contracting HIV. African Americans are 18 times more likely than whites to have gonorrhea.

• Drug use – The injection of drugs is the second leading cause of HIV infection in Black Americans. Also, being under the influence of drugs make people more likely to engage in risky behavior like unprotected sex.

The fight against HIV/AIDS in the Black community must continue. Not just on February 7th, but every day. As Phill Wilson of the Black AIDS Institute said, “Black Americans are greater than AIDS.”

Get educated. Get tested. Get Involved. Get treated.

For more info: Visit the Center for Disease Control’s website. Also, learn more about Black AIDS Day.

The post Today’s Black AIDS Day. Education is Key. appeared first on The Red Pump Project.

According to the CDC the awards target at-risk groups such as African Americans, Latinos, gay and bisexual men, and injection drug users. Jonathan Mermin, CDC Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention Director, stated “This funding is a critical part of CDC’s national HIV prevention efforts and is in line with the priorities identified in the recently released National HIV/AIDS Strategy.”

Organizations selected for the grants will receive on average $323,000 per year, for a total of five years. Funding will be used to create HIV prevention programs, increase HIV testing and knowledge of status in high risk communities, and to assist in monitoring program effects and behavioral outcomes.

You can check out the full list of organizations awarded grants, here.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

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The day exists to raise awareness about the impact of the disease in the Black Community, with a goal of mobilizing African Americans to get educated, get involved and tested, and if applicable, get treatment for HIV/AIDS. The disease is affecting our community at higher rates and more severely than any other ethnic group.

Snapshot of HIV/AIDS and Black America:

• African Americans are only 12 percent of the United States population, but account for almost half of all new HIV/AIDS infections.

• Since the epidemic started, almost 590,000 people have died from related complications in the U.S. 40% of them were Black.

• Rate of AIDS diagnosis for Black women is approximately 23 times the rate for white women and 4 times the rate for Latina women

• Black teens (ages 13–19) represent only 15 percent of all teenagers in the United States but are 68% of new AIDS cases among teens

In addition to this, it’s been proven that Black people with HIV live shorter lives than people of other ethnic backgrounds who are infected.

For these reasons and countless more, it’s important for us to stand strong against the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the Black community. Prevention of the disease is priority, and efforts are affected by many factors:

• Poverty – A quarter of African Americans live at or below the poverty level. This causes a lack of access to good healthcare, which then puts people’s well-being at risk.

• Stigma – The stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS in the Black community prevents openness and drives people to keep their statuses under wraps. For others, stigma and fear keeps them from even getting tested.

• Sexually transmitted diseases – Already having certain STDs increases one’s susceptibility to contracting HIV. African Americans are 18 times more likely than whites to have gonorrhea.

• Drug use – The injection of drugs is the second leading cause of HIV infection in Black Americans. Also, being under the influence of drugs make people more likely to engage in risky behavior like unprotected sex.

The fight against HIV/AIDS in the Black community must continue. Not just on February 7th, but every day. As Phill Wilson of the Black AIDS Institute said, “Black Americans are greater than AIDS.”

Get educated. Get tested. Get Involved. Get treated.

For more info: Visit the Center for Disease Control’s website. Also, learn more about Black AIDS Day.

The post Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day: Prevention is Priority appeared first on The Red Pump Project.