National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day 2019

2019 marks 19 years of grassroots efforts to promote HIV treatment and engagement with Black Americans. This year’s theme is “Together for Love: Stop HIV Stigma,” which highlights the messages of the Act Against AIDS and the Let’s Stop HIV Together Campaign. Acting as an anchor, this theme focuses on ways to reduce HIV stigma within the Black community.

According to CDC, 16,690 Black Americans were newly diagnosed with HIV in 2017. That number represents 43% of all new HIV diagnoses in 2017, despite Black Americans comprising just 13% of the U.S. population. These data are even more alarming when we look at HIV in the South. In 2017, Black Americans accounted for 53% of all new HIV diagnoses in the South, despite comprising only 19% of the Southern population.

One of the most effective tools to reduce new HIV infections is PrEP or, pre-exposure prophylaxis. PrEP can be used for people at high risk for HIV to lower their chances of getting infected. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has estimated that approximately 1.1 million people are at high risk for HIV exposure and could benefit from comprehensive HIV prevention strategies, including PrEP. But disparities in PrEP use exist. According to a CDC MMWR Report, between 2014 and 2016, six times as many white men and women were prescribed PrEP as Black men and women, indicating a need for focused public health efforts to increase access to PrEP in Black communities.

There is still work to be done, which is why education, testing, and treatment are paramount to eliminating HIV. On this National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, get tested and know your status.

On National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, get involved and join the fight against HIV:

EDUCATE FAMILY AND FRIENDS: View our local statistics to see how HIV impacts your community.

LEARN MORE: Check out CDC’s page on HIV Among African Americans to learn the prevention challenges and the work the CDC is doing.

GET TESTED: Visit AIDSVu.org/testing to find a testing site near you.

FIND PrEP PROVIDERS: Use AIDSVu’s PrEP locator to find a local PrEP provider.

The information for the infographics is from the below sources:

Prevalence and New Diagnoses: American Community Survey and the 2017 HIV Surveillance Report (Table 1a and 22a)

The South: American Community Survey and the 2017 HIV Surveillance Report (Table 3a)

States: The 2017 HIV Surveillance Report (Table 28)

Gender: The 2017 HIV Surveillance Report (Table 5a)

PrEP: The CDC MMWR Report