The AC Phoenix
December 2005
Page 3
AIDS:
NO TIME FOR COMPLACENCY
By: George Curry
—Guest Columnist—
The CDC recently reported that the number of newly
diagnosed HIV infections among Blacks has declined an
average of five percent a year for the past three years.
Usually, such a drop vyould be viewed as good news. But it’s
not. . ' .
Consider this: More than 368,000 Biacks have been
infected with AIDS since, the disease was first diagnosed
almost a quarter of a century ago.
That’s greater than the population of
Miami, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Tampa,
Greensboro, NC, or Baton Rough, LA.
Blacks are 12.3 percent of the U.S.
population, yet account for 40 per-
cent of AIDS cases diagnosed
Also consider this: By the end of
2004, according to the CDC, more
than 200,000 Blacks with AIDS had
died. That’s greater than the
population of. Spokane, Wash;
Augusta, GA, Little Rock, AK. Sail
Lake City, UT, Knoxville, TN
Huntsville, AL. or New Haven, CT.
T y Numbers get tossed around so
frequently that there is a tendency to
be numbed by all the figures. But we’re not talking numbers—
we’re talking about people. Real people. Enough to form a
midsize city.
But even numbers need to be placed in perspective.
Overall, the rate of AIDS diagnosed for Blacks in 2004 was
almost 10 times the rate for Whites, and almost three times the
rate for Latinos. But when you compare the statistics by
gender, the gap is even more startling.
Of women diagnosed with HIV from 2001-2004, more than
two-thirds (68 percent) were Black: \ V; ,ites were 16 percent
and Latinos 15 percent. The CDC found that 78 percent of
Black females contracted HIV through heterosexual activities.
Among men diagnosed with HIV during that same period,
45 percent were Black, 37 percent White and 16 percent
Latino. Almost half of Black men (49 percent) contracted HIV
through sex with other men, and 67 percent of them were
unaware that they were infected, according to the CDC.
The CDC cites an array of factors—poverty, limited
awareness of HIV status, disproportionate rates for sexually
transmitted diseases, mistrust and limited access to health
care—that help explain the glaring gaps in the numbers.
At some point, however, while acknowledging that those
are all legitimate factors. Black people must realize that not
enough is being done to lessen the likelihood of Blacks con
tracting HIV. And when Blacks do contract HIV, they are late
finding out, meaning that they run a higher risk of death
because of delayed treatment.
Black religious and political leaders must move beyond lip
service and consistently organize testing programs. The
community must offer realistic sex education for our young
people. To support abstinence-only programs for teens when
almost half of them acknowledge being sexually active is, in
some instances, signing their death certificates. The issue is
not whether teens should abstain from sex—few disagree with
that notion—but what to do about those who do not.
If we’re serious about curbing this epidemic, we must
aggressively promote the use of condoms. A report by the
Population Action International in Washington, D.C. stated,
“The condom is the only technology available for protection
from sexually transmitted HIV.” It also noted, “Public health
experts around the globe agree that condoms block contact
with body fluids that can carry the HIV virus and have nearly
100 percent effectiveness when used correctly and
consistently.”
When I attended an international conference on AIDS in
Bangkok, Thailand last year, I noticed how some countries are
not soueamish about distributing condoms. They pass them
out at major public events, enlist the assistance of taxi drivers
and make them easily available in public places without stig
matizing users. Yet, in the U.S., where sex is used to sell
everything from automobiles to vacations, we are timid about
discussing condoms. Actually, we’re not talking as much
about condom use as we are about saving lives.
The federal government must play an important role.
Elected officials shouldn’t be allowed to get away with saying
they are interested in HIV and AIDS programs, while slashing
funds for them, nor should corporations and foundations.
The Black AIDS Institute in Los Angeles does more than
any otner organization in the Black community to keep this
issue before tne public. But Phil Wilson, executive director of
the organization says this year his group has had its income
reduced by 50 percent, causing him to cut his small staff.
Evidently, in tne national rush to help victims of Hurricane
Katrina, man; contributors are shifting funds away from othe'"
worthwhile programs.
This is no time to abandon anti-AIDS activists or lc
become complacent.
(George Curry is editor-in-chief of the NNPA News Service
and BlackPressUSA.com. He may be contacted through his
website at www.georgecurry.com).
THE
7
IVIo..« Xhon « rH«
. m Cl n itij
An Associate Consultant’s Newspaper
Established 1982
Rodney J. Sumier, Publisher
Sartia Beverly, Managing Editor
Ann F. Sumier, Rnancial Director
Mia Brydie, Advertising Director
Advertising Consultants:
SandraKay Lawson Crump, Patricia Hall and Chenita Johnson
Ideas expressed in this publication are not necessarily those
of the publisher or staff. (336) 727-1171 fax (336) 723-1606
e-mail: acphoenix@triad.rr.com
Have the AC Phoenix delivered for $25 for 12 issues.
Yes, I want to receive my AC Phoenix each month.
Name
Address.
City
State
Zip
Return this coupon to:
The AC Phoenix, Circulation Department
P. O. Box 17627, Winston-Salem, NC 27116
A voluntary payment of $25 per year is requested to defray delivery
expenses. Make checks payable to the AC Phoenix. Date:
!
; I
♦ V
f IT
il
M