Newspapers Cover Local Events, AIDS Awareness Efforts on National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

Tuesday marks the sixth annual National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, which is sponsored by the Community Capacity Building Coalition, a consortium of national minority-focused groups supported by CDC's Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention. The CCBC includes: Concerned Black Men of Philadelphia, the Health Watch Information and Promotion Service, the Jackson State University-Mississippi Urban Research Center, the National Black Alcoholism and Addictions Council and the National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS. The goal of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day is to motivate black people to "get tested" for HIV, "get educated" about how the virus is transmitted, "get involved" in community HIV/AIDS programs and "get treated" if they are HIV-positive (National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day Web site, 2/7). According to CDC, data from 33 states published in November 2005 in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, the rate of new HIV cases among blacks has decreased an average of 5% annually since 2001, declining from 88.7 cases per 100,000 people in 2001 to 76.3 cases per 100,000 in 2004. However, blacks in 2004 were 8.4 times more likely than whites to be newly diagnosed with HIV (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 11/18/05). Blacks -- who make up about 12.3% of the U.S. population -- in 2004 accounted for about 49% of the estimated number of reported AIDS cases nationwide. Additionally, HIV/AIDS was the leading cause of death for black women ages 25-34 years in 2002, it also was among the top three causes of death for black men ages 25-54 years and among the top four causes of death for black women ages 25-54 in that year (MMWR, 2/3). CDC -- which presented a study on the data on Monday at the 13th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Denver -- in a statement said, "Despite possible signs of success, HIV continues to exact a disproportionate and devastating toll on African Americans" (Fox, Reuters, 2/6). Several newspapers around the country have published articles covering events taking place in honor of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day and examining the impact of the epidemic among blacks. Links to some of the articles appear below:

The Kaiser Family Foundation has published an updated fact sheet on African Americans and HIV/AIDS, which highlights the epidemic's impact on African Americans, providing current data and trends over time.

• "As AIDS Cases Grow, a Call for New Fight: City Commission Criticizes Lack of Focus, Cooperation" (Bor, Baltimore Sun, 2/7).
  


• "Black HIV/AIDS Day Sparks Initiative" (Walsh, Beaufort Gazette, 2/6).
  


• "African American Sounds an HIV Alarm: Awareness Day Brings a Message of the Rising Rate Among Young Black Females" (Rendon, Houston Chronicle, 2/7).
  


• "Health: Local Groups Seek To Raise Blacks' Awareness of AIDS" (Quarles, Huntington Herald-Dispatch, 2/6).
  


• "Communities Unite To Spread the Word" (Pegram, Lynchburg News & Advance, 2/7).
  


• "HIV Testing for Blacks is a Unifying Mission; Health Agencies, Lawmakers and Activists Step Up Their Efforts To Encourage Blacks To Be Tested for HIV as Part of a National Awareness Day Campaign" (Robinson, Miami Herald, 2/7).
  


• "City Scrambles To Deal With AIDS Cases in Brooklyn" (Dean, New York Sun, 2/7).
  


• "Blacks Still Bear the Brunt of AIDS; But Infections Fall as Awareness Rises" (Stewart, Newark Star-Ledger, 2/7).
  


• "Black AIDS Awareness Week Begins" (Bothma, Oakland Tribune, 2/6).
  


• "National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day Observance Set for Tuesday" (Gleaton, Orangeburg Times and Democrat, 2/6).
  


• "Black Church Confronts HIV, AIDS" (Woods, Wichita Eagle, 2/6).
  


• "DHEC Offers Free HIV Testing to African American Community" (Moore, WIStv.com, 2/4).

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