According to a study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. has significantly underreported the number of new cases of HIV infections occurring nationally each year by as much as 40 percent.
CDC director Dr. Julie Gerberding was quoted saying, “We are not effectively reaching men who have sex with men and African Americans to lower their risk.” If the numbers are correct, then HIV infections have been underreported by about 15, 000 for close to 15 years. The virus has its greatest effect among gay and bisexual men, regardless of race, and among African American men and women.
The CDC believes the new monitoring system provides more precise estimates than before. Infection rates among blacks were found to be seven times as high as for whites (83.7 per 100,000 versus 11.5 per 100,000) and almost three times as high as for Hispanics (29.3 per 100,000), a group that is also disproportionately affected. The numbers are startling and should serve as a wake-up call to the minority community.
For too long, African Americans have lived in denial about the realities of this epidemic and its effects. If you take one look at the amount of unplanned pregnancies, it is an indication of how many people aren’t using condoms during sex, and the carelessness of unprotected sex is too dangerous to continue.
Measures must be taken to slow the spread of this disease, including testing, abstinence, and consistently and correctly using protection such as condoms and dental dams. If you’re sexually active, always use condoms.
The change begins with you. Get tested, stay educated, and stop the spread of HIV. –todd williams
