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Last Updated: Jul 1st, 2008 - 10:51:06 |
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| photo--www.nblca.org |
Blacks make up 13 percent of the U.S. population but account for nearly half of new HIV/AIDS diagnoses, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Since its inception during the 1980’s up until 2005, AIDS has lead to the death of 211,559 African-Americans, according to government data.
“It doesn’t make any sense,” said Philip Hilton, vice president of the National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS, which assists African-American leadership in addressing the health crisis. “It is a moral dereliction.”
AIDS, or acquired immune deficiency syndrome, is a disease of the immune system caused by HIV, the human immunodeficiency virus, which destroys white blood cells and weakens the body’s ability to fight infections, making individuals susceptible to a number of illnesses. The disease can ultimately lead to death and there is no cure.
The disease is transmitted as a result of direct contact with blood or other bodily fluids that contain HIV, such as semen, vaginal fluid and breast milk. Some sexual acts, such as unprotected anal, vaginal or oral sex, increase the risk of exposure to the disease, as does the use of contaminated needles or blood transfusions. If the virus is detected early, the infected individual has a better chance at living longer and its slowing progression.
“There is no reason for you to not get tested. It’s like a birthday gift,” said a 37-year-old, single mother, who is HIV positive and for confidentiality reasons chose to withhold her name. She got tested after her boyfriend informed her that he was HIV positive.. She contracted HIV after having unprotected sex with her boyfriend, who at the time was well aware of his status but failed to inform her of it. He died seven years ago. She has had the virus for 13 years.
The mother of a 17-year-old daughter said she is not angry with the man who knowingly infected her with HIV. “I wanted to (be angry) but I couldn’t,” she said. “I had to take responsibility.” She added that those close to her were angry at her boyfriend but that she was angrier with herself.
According to government data, the rate of AIDS diagnoses for Black women is nearly 23 times the rate for White women. Of the Black women who are now living with HIV/AIDS, 74 percent contracted the disease as a result of heterosexual contact. As for Black men 48 percent contracted the disease as a result of homosexual contact. The percentage of Black men who contracted the disease through injection drug use and high-risk heterosexual contact are about the same. Black males are also eight times more likely to be diagnosed with AIDS than White men.
The apparent racial disparity has led experts and leaders to question the effectiveness of the messages being made regarding this epidemic. “It is a preventable disease. There is something wrong with the message,” Hilton said. He added that there is an urgent need for more informative messages. “We have got to be in people’s faces day in and day out,” he said. “ This is not a chest cold.”
In addition to risky lifestyles, the CDC report identifies a number of socioeconomic conditions, such as poverty, which may contribute to the high rate of HIV/AIDS among African-Americans. According to the latest report, one in four Blacks was living in poverty in 1999. Studies have found a correlation between a higher incidence of AIDS cases and lower income. Specialists say that this correlation may be due to poor people having limited access to high-quality health care and HIV prevention education.
Ogechi Nwaokelemeh, program coordinator of Substance Abuse and HIV Outreach Program (SHOP), an organization that informs and educates Howard University students on these issues, said that she agrees with the report. Nwaokelemeh attributes the high incidence of AIDS in the Black community to a lack of knowledge and resources.
“Some of our Black communities do not have access to some of the educational tools and opportunities that are available to our White counterparts” she said.
Hilton said there needs to be a more aggressive campaign directed at the African-American community nationwide and added that government funding is not being used properly. “It’s all about targeting dollars but we are spending a fortune in Iraq.
“The nation is great because of the contribution we (Blacks) made, he added. “It (the epidemic) has to become a priority, a central part of any platform of the Democratic or Republican convention.”
Not only is HIV/AIDS an issue that politicians must attend to, many say it is a matter of concern that the church must confront as well. “Churches should be pro-active in addressing the issue,” Nwaokelemeh said. “Some churches may shy away from such topics but educational opportunities should be seized whole-heartedly by churches and schools alike.”
Murray Penner, deputy executive director of the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors, an organization that works to strengthen state leadership and programming around the HIV/ AIDS epidemic, places emphasis education at historically Black colleges.
“This is an ongoing issue we need to address, not just for one day but for every day of the year,” Penner said.
Occasionally, the cable channel BET, which caters to young African-Americans, will air a special on HIV/AIDS, STDs and general sexual health. The station featured a special on the disease during National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day on Feb. 7.
But public and private agencies and schools need to research educational tactics that speak to Black communities, Nwaokelemeh said. “For example, if educational brochures are going to be disseminated, depictions of African-Americans should be used on educational literature,” she said. These institutions “also need to plan innovative and provocative events such as concerts, complimentary dinners, poetry slams that serve as incentives for our Black community. These baits may attract some that may not usually come to a workshop,” she added.
The single mother who is HIV-positive said that she talks to her daughter about HIV and AIDS. She said that though her daughter is well-informed, many young people have an out-of-sight, out-of-mind attitude toward HIV and AIDS. “For some, it seems so far away. People get this safe feeling,” the mother said. “It scares me because not a lot of people are going to protect themselves. The less they know, the better they feel.”
She added that many people, without knowing her health status, talk poorly about those who have HIV and AIDS. But in spite of that, she said sharing her story makes a difference. “It’s not that easy to live in secrecy,” she said. “It makes you feel like you’re suffocating who you are. I have to do a lot to maintain and I can’t hide that part of me.”
Recently, she stood before a group of students at Howard University and answered a number of questions about HIV/ AIDS. At the gathering, she said it‘s not always a good day but for the most part “life is pretty good.” She works as a hairstylist. She takes her vitamins daily and watches what she eats. Every now and then she said she has to take some meds. She stays busy by taking care of her daughter, hanging out with friends and family and attending church.. She remains positive and stays away from anything stressful.
“HIV hasn’t stopped me from doing anything,” she said.
She urges all people who are sexually active to protect themselves and get tested. “People need to hold themselves more responsible for their lives.”
Hilton agrees. “We have to save our lives. We have to save us,” he said. “And we have the means to do so.”
Before the mother was diagnosed, she knew very little about the disease but she did know that once infected, people were treated as outcasts. She said that society needs to modify views of people with HIV/AIDS because it affects a person’s decision to get tested.
“I would change the way people perceive me,” she said, “so that others won’t be afraid to get tested.”
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