The continued trajectory of HIV infection among African Americans clearly points to a community in crisis From a report by NASTAD in 2007.

In 2001, black leaders in the USA organized the first National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day to highlight the devastating impact of HIV and AIDS on the black community. Seven years later, African Americans remain disproportionately affected by the disease.

In Monroe County, in Alamaba, in southern America, African Americans make up 58 percent of all new HIV cases although they make up just 14 percent of the county's population. Nationally, African American men account for 56 percent of all new cases of HIV in males.

The high rates of HIV among black men is thought to be associated with the high rates of STD’s - African American men make up 80 per cent of all male gonorrhoea cases in the USA. Having a sexually transmitted disease significantly increases a person's chance of acquiring or transmitting HIV.

However, research suggests that sexual behaviour is not the cause of increasing rates of STDs and HIV in African American men. In 2007, an article published in the American Journal of Public Health argued that there was no perceivable difference in the high-risk behaviours of African Americans and other ethnic groups examined in its study.

However, African Americans are at greater risk of contracting STDs. The researchers maintained that STD and HIV rates are not merely attributable to sexual behaviour but residential location is also a factor that can increase the risk of infection.

Data from The Virginia Department of Health reveals that in 2005, African American men in Virginia were nine times more likely to be diagnosed with HIV/AIDS than white males, and black females were four times more likely to be diagnosed than white females.

The motto for National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day is “Get Educated. Get Tested. Get Involved. Get Treated.” Ina publication entailed: The Tipping Point For HIV/AIDS Among African Americans by the National Alliance of National and Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD) states:

“Despite widespread discussion about the epidemic and some measurable progress in key areas, the overall impact in African American communities has been negligible. African Americans currently represent more than half of all HIV/AIDS cases in the U.S. The continued trajectory of HIV infection among African Americans clearly points to a community in crisis.”

For further information about National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, please visit the website using the link below.