HIV/AIDS A TOP KILLER OF BLACKS

By Larry Ault/OF THE COMMERCIAL STAFF

The National Center for Health Statistics 2006 report says HIV/AIDS is one of the top 10 causes of death for African-Americans.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has indicated HIV/AIDS is the leading cause of death for African-American women ages 25-34 in the United States. Black youth ages 13-19 account for 73 percent of the young people infected with HIV/AIDS, the state Department of Health and Human Services reported.

In 2006, it was estimated 54 percent of new HIV cases nationwide were African-Americans who are more likely to test later than other races according to Kaiser Foundation reports and are more likely to receive a diagnosis of AIDS from the initial positive test.

According to a report on HIV/AIDS in Arkansas issued by the state Department of Health, as of Dec. 31, Jefferson County had reported 268 HIV cases since 1983, which placed the county among the top 10 in Arkansas. Pulaski County had the most cases reported with 2,223, with Washington County reporting 479, and Garland County reporting 255, Crittenden County reporting 312 and Union County reporting 240. Sebastian County reported 351. The prisons reported 173 documented cases since 1983. The total HIV cases reported in the state since 1983 was 6,784. The total of HIV/AIDS cases included 4,187 or 62 percent that were AIDS cases and 1,827 or 44 percent that had died.

Likewise, Jefferson County reported 170 AIDS cases during the same time period, with Garland County reporting 156, Sebastian County reporting 230 and Washington County reporting 302. The state prisons reported 63 cases while Pulaski County reported the most with 1,378.

Wednesday was the seventh annual observance of the National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, a national mobilization effort designed to encourage African-Americans across the United States to “Get Education, Get Tested, Get Involved, and Get Treated” for HIV/AIDS.

—Larry Ault