CDC Report: AIDS Is a Black – and Poor – Disease – New America Media
Posted: August 18th, 2010 | Author: Kink On Tap Editorial Staff | Filed under: Briefs | Tags: 55, aids, health, race | Comments Off on CDC Report: AIDS Is a Black – and Poor – Disease – New America MediaIn America, "HIV clearly strikes at the economically disadvantaged in a devastating way," Dr. Kevin Fenton of the Center for Disease Control (CDC) said in a statement at the recent biennial international AIDS Conference. At the conference, the CDC released a study revealing a strong link between low socioeconomic class and HIV/AIDS, finding that although "Blacks are 12.8% of the U.S. population, they represent 45% of all people infected each year with HIV." And the link between oppressed groups and HIV risk just get worse from there. Black women, the study found, "represent 66% of all new HIV cases each year among women," and "although Black teenagers are only 15% of U.S. teen population, they account for 68% of all new AIDS cases among teens." And for gay and bisexual men, 46% of Black men have contracted the virus, compared to 21% of gay and bisexual men who are white.
Contrary to what some would like to believe, biology isn't to blame for this; social stigmas and prejudices are.
Audience Participation