HIV infection continues to carry a heavy stigma in the African American community, says Dr. Danica Wilson, medical director of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation in Chicago. But it’s not the only barrier preventing African Americans from being more candid about their sexuality, or just coming flat out asking a sex partner, “Have you been tested?”
Religious beliefs, fear of a backlash from loved ones, and a general discomfort with openly talking about sex, particularly same-sex intimate partners, continue to factor into Black people’s decisions not to get tested or share their positive diagnosis with partners before having sex, she continued.
“People don’t want to ask because people get offended. It’s an issue with a lot of patients I see. We’re just trusting people,” she said, adding 90 percent of her patients are African American.
In time for World AIDS Day on December 1, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shared with BlackDoctor.org the latest data on HIV infection rates in the U.S. The estimated number of annual new HIV infections declined 10 percent from 2010 to 2014. Among the good news: the diagnoses for women declined 20 percent during the same time period and among African American women, diagnoses declined 24 percent. In addition, after years of sharp increases, diagnoses among young African American gay and bisexual men (aged 13 to 24) declined 2 percent.
Blacks represent nearly 13 percent of the U.S. population, they accounted for 45 percent of the HIV diagnoses from 2010-2014, the highest rate compared to other races and ethnicities. Infection rates among Black gay and bisexual men, overall, remained stagnant, rising 2 percent. In 2015, African American women made up the majority of Blacks living with AIDS at 58 percent.
African American gay and bisexual men accounted for the largest number of HIV diagnoses (10,315), followed by white (7,570) and Hispanic/Latino (7,013) gay and bisexual men. The data also included some alarming national trends, such as 1 in 2 people with HIV have had the virus at least 3 years before diagnosis, and about 40% of new HIV infections come from people who don’t know they have HIV.
Dr. Wilson said she is concerned that the perception in the Black community that HIV/AIDS is a gay disease continues to create barriers for Black women. “In general when people think HIV the first thing that pops in their head is a gay male. It goes along with the stigma of what HIV is as it relates to care and treatment and prevention,” she said.
She says she focuses on…
…educating women about treatment options and life-saving drugs such as PrEP or pre-exposure prophylactic. “When I’m joking around with my patients I say it’s the other blue pill,” said Dr. Wilson. “It’s two medications in one pill and the only one that is effective for prevention.”
The CDC, too, has stepped up its outreach to African American women, said Franciso Ruiz, team leader for national partnerships in the division of HIV/AIDS prevention. Its Pact to Act Against AIDS Initiative focuses outreach to nontraditional groups in the African American, Latino and LBGTQ communities. With partners such as the National Urban League and Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the CDC has helped community-based groups look beyond handing out condoms to providing assistance such as temporary housing. Particularly, he said, the CDC has tried to better educate women about PrEP and PEP, a post-exposure prophylactic that can prevent infection if taken with 72 hours of exposure to HIV.
“Gay men are more aware of these medications. Organizations push this information for gay men due to the alarming infection rates. But PrEP is effective for men and women. So we want to make sure women are empowered to know,” Ruiz said.
Dr. Wilson also encouraged African American young men who are experimenting with bisexuality to take precautions. “I had a young man come in two weeks ago . . . one episode with a guy,” she said. “Being careless and carefree. That’s where they become positive.”
By subscribing, you consent to receive emails from BlackDoctor.com. You may unsubscribe at any time. Privacy Policy & Terms of Service.
