National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day — February 7, 2014

Weekly

February 7, 2014 / 63(05);85-85

February 7 is National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, an observance intended to raise awareness of human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) and encourage action to reduce the disproportionate impact of HIV/AIDS on blacks in the United States. Compared with other races and ethnicities, blacks had the highest HIV incidence in 2010, with an estimated rate of 68.9 per 100,000 population, nearly eight times the estimated rate of 8.7 among whites (1).

By the end of 2010, an estimated 506,800 blacks were living with HIV in the United States, accounting for the highest percentage (44.3%) of persons living with HIV, followed by whites (33.0%), and Hispanics (19.3%) (2).

Information regarding National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day is available at http://www.cdc.gov/features/blackhivaidsawareness. Information regarding blacks and HIV/AIDS is available at http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/risk/racialethnic/aa/index.html.

References

1. CDC. Estimated HIV incidence in the United States, 2007–2010. HIV surveillance supplemental report 2012. Vol. 17(No. 4). Atlanta, GA: US Department of Health and Human Services, CDC; 2012. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/pdf/statistics_hssr_vol_17_no_4.pdf

2. CDC. Monitoring selected national HIV prevention and care objectives by using HIV surveillance data—United States and 6 dependent areas—2011. HIV surveillance supplemental report 2013. Vol. 18(No. 5). Atlanta, GA: US Department of Health and Human Services, CDC; 2013. Available athttp://www.cdc.gov/hiv/pdf/2011_monitoring_hiv_indicators_hssr_final.pdf