Join AIDSinfo in Observing National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

March 20, 2012, marks the sixth annual National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, a day that serves to increase awareness of the impact of HIV/AIDS among the American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian communities.

According to the HIV Surveillance Report, 2010 Vol. 22 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in the 46 states with confidential name-based HIV reporting, Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders had the third highest rate of new HIV diagnoses among racial and ethnic groups in 2010, and American Indians and Alaska Natives had the fourth highest rate. Moreover, American Indians and Alaska Natives who are diagnosed with AIDS die sooner after their diagnosis than members of any other ethnic or racial group, suggesting that they may be diagnosed later in the course of infection and have more limited access to health care services.

For information and resources about HIV/AIDS and American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians, visit the AIDSinfo webpage highlighting National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day [en español].