February 6, 2009

AlDS Alliance Recognizes National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

 |  

 

 

Releases New Fact Sheet on AIDS in African Americans

 

Washington, D.C. – In recognition of tomorrow, February 7, 2009, as National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, AIDS Alliance for Children, Youth and Families announced the release of a new fact sheet highlighting the impact of HIV/AIDS in the African American community.

 

The fact sheet, HIV/AIDS Trends in Communities of Color: How HIV/AIDS Affects African Americans, is available on the AIDS Alliance website www.aids-alliance.org and will be distributed at conferences, workshops, and community events around the country.  

 

HIV/AIDS rates among African Americans, particularly women, are staggering.  Although African Americans only account for 13 percent of the U.S. population, they account for approximately 46 percent of new HIV infections and 50 percent of newly reported AIDS cases.  African American women accounted for approximately 60 percent of all new HIV cases among women.  The rate of infection for African American women is an astounding 23 times higher than for white women.

 

"AIDS Alliance for Children, Youth and Families is strongly committed to the fight against AIDS and the education of minority populations, such as the African American community," said Alelia Munroe, Board President.  "Awareness and prevention strategies must be utilized to stop the transmission rates from getting any higher for this at-risk population. The key to education is in the hands of the community.  African Americans along with health professionals and the greater community must come together to further educate others about HIV/AIDS prevention. National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day is an opportunity to not only highlight the epidemic in communities of color, but to encourage action to fight the statistics."

 

For its part, AIDS Alliance facilitates several programs to address AIDS in populations most affected, including African Americans. Through the Girls 4 HOPE program, AIDS Alliance works toward improving the capacity of community-based organizations to initiate and improve prevention programs for female African American and Latina youth, aged 13-18.  Funded under the Center for Disease Control's (CDC) Division of Adolescent and School Health (DASH), the Girls 4 HOPE program offers a comprehensive program of training and technical assistance for these girls and their care-givers tailored to mutually identified needs and an agreed upon individualized capacity building plan.

 

AIDS Alliance, along with other partners of the NIAID HIV Vaccine Research Education Initiative (NHVREI), also encourages members of the African American community to educate themselves about the importance of HIV vaccine research and encourages participation in clinical trials by people of all races and ethnicities, genders and socioeconomic backgrounds.  Participation by the populations most highly affected is critical to the success of the endeavor. (For more information visit: www.bethegeneration.org).

 

-end-

 

Founded in 1994, AACYF is a national non-profit organization whose mission is to advance the partnership between consumers and providers – we are the voice of women, children, youth and families living with and affected by HIV/AIDS.  AACYF works to enhance and expand access to quality, comprehensive, family-centered care to America's children, youth and families affected by HIV/AIDS, as it represents the nation's network of over 650 Ryan White Part D funded community-based organizations.  Part D programs serve over 53,000 HIV-affected women, children, youth and families through sites located in 35 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.