US: National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

[Anthea]

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

ALBANY, N.Y. (Feb 7, 2014) – In observance of the 13th annual National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day on Friday, February 7, 2014, State Health Commissioner, Nirav R. Shah M.D., M.P.H. is urging black Americans to protect themselves against HIV/AIDS, get tested, and obtain treatment if necessary.

"Great progress has been made in the fight against HIV/AIDS, but we must remain vigilant in promoting healthy behaviors, HIV testing, and greater awareness of the disease," said Commissioner Shah. "Since nearly half of new HIV diagnoses are among black Americans, we must focus efforts on removing the stigma of HIV/AIDS and educate the community on the importance of testing and treatment."

New York State data for 2012 shows that health disparities related to race continue to exist in New York State. Black Americans are eight times more likely to be newly diagnosed with HIV than whites, with 48 new diagnoses per 100,000 people as compared with six per 100,000 for whites. Hispanics are also more likely to be diagnosed with HIV than whites, with 29 newly diagnosed cases per 100,000 population.

Although the number of new diagnoses is declining, black Americans remain disproportionately impacted by HIV and AIDS. For example, in 2012, for new diagnoses among men between the ages of 13 and 24, black men have the highest percentage of new diagnoses (46%) compared to Hispanics (34%). Approximately 58 percent of new diagnoses among women are black Americans.

"The key strategies for fighting HIV/AIDS are community-driven prevention efforts and good clinical care," said Dan O'Connell, director of the Department of Health's AIDS Institute. "While HIV awareness testing and treatment have proven effective to reduce infection rates in our overall population, we need to improve the results for black Americans in New York State, especially among women and young gay men. New strategies include increasing public awareness about pre-exposure prophylaxis and post exposure prophylaxis following sexual exposure to prevent transmission. We will continue to collaborate with dedicated organizations to target areas where we can make a difference."

New York will also continue to focus on efforts to identify all persons with HIV infection and assure referrals for care and treatment. New York's HIV Testing Law, requires that virtually all New Yorkers between the ages of 13 and 64 be offered the chance to learn their status when they receive primary care or a hospital-based health service. This law requires a routine conversation between the doctor and patient.

The Department of Health has a toll-free confidential AIDS Hotline (1-800-541-AIDS), where individuals can learn more about HIV and get information about free HIV testing opportunities in their communities. Additionally, the National HIV and STD Testing Resource website at: http://www.hivtest.org allows a user to enter a zip code to access local testing sites in that area. Cell phone users can send a text message containing their zip code to "KNOWIT" (566948) and within seconds receive a return text message listing an HIV testing site in that area.

http://www.health.ny.gov/press/releases ... ss_day.htm

[aldenmarck]

World AIDS Day is a wake up call to those people who are suffering from AIDS, to spread awareness against AIDS.

[Anthea]

World AIDS Day is a wake up call to those people who are suffering from AIDS, to spread awareness against AIDS.

Sadly - too few people take precautions when having sex - and far too many people have sex with complete strangers and/or prostitutes - drug addicts are often far more concerned about getting their next fix as to whether or not the needle they are using is clean

Also - people are often shunned once they are known to have contracted AIDS - possibly due to the lifestyle that is generally attributed to their catching AIDS - as much as peoples' fear of catching it themselves

If people took proper precautions when having sex - not only would they be far less likely to catch AIDS or any of the other STDs - they would also be less likely to become pregnant and have to slaughter an unborn child

[Anthea]

I wonder how many women have cauight AIDS and other STDs from erring husbands/partners

I often think of one sweet innocent Kurdish lady who caught a STD from her husband - she never realised - I am not an interpretor - I went with her to doctor and obtained medication - then I told her disgusting pig of a husband exactly what I thought of him

She recovered but some months later contracted another STD - I told the husband if it happened again I would tell ABSOLUTELY EVERYONE - after that he turned into the most loving husband

I wonder how many innocent people out there are carrying - and passing on - and STD without even knowing it - people do not get tested unless they have some signs that they have caught a STD - sometimes carriers never develop the infection themselves they just unknowingly pass it on