HIV/AIDS Update- National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

HIV/AIDS Update

National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

The ninth annual National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NBHAAD) is February 7, 2009. NBHAAD is a national mobilization effort encouraging African Americans nationwide to get educated, get tested, get treated, and get involved with HIV/AIDS. The burden of HIV in African American communities is staggering. We cannot allow this crisis to continue.

Numerous organizations nationwide—many with CDC support—will host events aimed at increasing awareness of the epidemic and offering HIV testing to African Americans in communities hardest hit by the epidemic. CDC has issued a statement by Dr. Kevin Fenton, Director of CDC’s National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention (attached to this Update). Additionally, the following activities have been conducted or are planned in support of NBHAAD:

· “AIDS Crisis in Black Atlanta” town hall meeting on January 28—for more information please visit www.blackaidsday.org

· NBHAAD Webcast on January 28—for more information please visit www.blackaidsday.org

· NBHAAD program for CDC staff on February 6

· Radio media tour featuring Dr. Kevin Fenton

· A special NBHAAD podcast available at http://www2a.cdc.gov/podcasts/

· A CDC Web spotlight on blacks and HIV/AIDS—for more information, please visit http://www.cdc.gov/Features/BlackHIVAIDSAwareness/

HIV remains a devastating crisis in African American communities. As summarized in Dr. Fenton’s statement, the harsh reality is that if current infection rates continue, one in sixteen black men and one in thirty black women in the United States will be diagnosed with HIV during their lifetimes. HIV infection and progression to AIDS can be prevented, yet AIDS remains a leading cause of death among African Americans.

CDC estimates indicate that every 9½ minutes someone in the United States is infected with HIV. Given the size of the epidemic and growing numbers of people living with HIV, we are facing an uphill battle.

An extensive and robust body of scientific literature shows that HIV prevention does work. But it only works when we apply what we know. The simple fact is that the scope of the epidemic in the United States exceeds the scale of our prevention efforts. The scale of the existing programs indicates that too many African Americans and others who are at-risk for acquiring or transmitting HIV are not getting tested for HIV or being reached by prevention efforts.

CDC and the federal government are fully committed to doing all that we can do to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS among African Americans and other affected communities. But we cannot do it alone. Winning the battle against HIV will require leadership and action from individuals, communities—and our nation as a whole. CDC applauds and recognizes the efforts of the growing number of African American leaders who have taken action against AIDS by raising awareness of the disease, encouraging and providing access to HIV testing, and supporting and implementing programs that have been shown to reduce risk behavior.

All of us at CDC thank you for your continued commitment to HIV prevention. By working together, we can change the course of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the United States.



Richard J. Wolitski, PhD

Acting Director

Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention