National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day — February 7, 2016

Weekly / February 5, 2016 / 65(4);77

February 7 is National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, which is intended to raise awareness of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, which causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). The observance also encourages action, such as HIV testing, to reduce the disproportionate impact of HIV/AIDS on non-Hispanic blacks/African Americans (blacks) in the United States. From 2010 to 2014, the annual HIV diagnosis rate decreased for blacks (1). However, blacks continued to account for nearly half of all HIV diagnoses each year, with most diagnoses occurring among gay and bisexual men (2).

In 2014, blacks accounted for 44% of new HIV diagnoses, with men accounting for 73% of these diagnoses (1). The annual HIV diagnosis rate for black women (30.0 per 100,000) was 18 times the rate for white women (1.7) and five times the rate for Hispanic/Latino women (6.5). Among blacks living with HIV in 2011, 85% received an HIV diagnosis, 40% were engaged in HIV care, 36% were prescribed antiretroviral therapy, and 28% were virally suppressed (3).

Additional information is available online regarding National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (http://www.cdc.gov/features/blackhivaidsawareness) as well as blacks and HIV/AIDS (http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/group/racialethnic/africanamericans/index.html).

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References

Frieden TR, Foti KE, Mermin J. Applying public health principles to the HIV epidemic—how are we doing? N Engl J Med 2015;373:2281–7. CrossRef
CDC. HIV surveillance report, 2014; Vol. 26. Atlanta, GA: US Department of Health and Human Services, CDC; 2015. http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/library/reports/surveillance/.
Bradley H, Hall HI, Wolitski RJ, et al. Vital signs: HIV diagnosis, care, and treatment among persons living with HIV—United States, 2011. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2014;63:1113–7.