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February 2024
Volume 10 | Issue No. 80
February 7 marks the 25th anniversary of
National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
(#NBHAAD), first observed in 1999. This
observance is a day to acknowledge
how HIV disproportionately affects Black
people and raise awareness about the
importance of increasing access to
HIV prevention, testing, and treatment
services.
According to the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services Office of
Minority Health, although Black Americans
represent 13% of the total U.S. population,
they accounted for 42.1% of HIV infection
cases in 2019. Black men have eight times
the AIDS rate and are six times more likely
to die from HIV infection compared to
white males. Black women have 15 times
the AIDS rate and are 15 times more likely
to die from HIV than white women.
A 2021 presentation by the Missouri
Department of Health and Senior Services,
Ending the HIV Epidemic in Missouri, noted
HIV disease impacts the state's two major
metropolitan areas the most, with St.
Louis having an infection rate of 25.3 per
100,000 people and Kansas City with a
rate of 17.6 per 100,000. HIV cases among
Black Missourians are 8.3 times higher
than among white Missourians. Males are
diagnosed with HIV at a rate 4.6 times
higher than females, and the majority of
new diagnoses continue to be among
men who have sex with men (MSM).
Distrust in the health care system may
affect whether Black people seek HIV
prevention or engage in HIV treatment
and care. To address this, the 2024 theme
of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
is Engage, Educate, Empower: Uniting to
End HIV/AIDS in Black Communities.
Engage
It's essential to involve the people most
impacted by a problem in the search for
its solution. Engagement that involves the
Black community in HIV/AIDS prevention
and treatment efforts includes utilizing
social media toolkits and enlisting
community partners such as influencers
and trusted local leaders to educate and
build awareness.
Empowering Black people living with HIV/AIDS includes
providing equitable access to care and support systems as
well as advocating for policy change.
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