Articles Posted in AIDS/HIV

African Americans account for a higher percentage of HIV/AIDS diagnoses in the United States. This February 7, national organizations including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are aiming to raise awareness about the high incidence of HIV/AIDS in the African American community to reduce the number of new diagnoses among Blacks.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2018, Blacks accounted for nearly 42 percent of the new diagnoses of HIV/AIDS in the country.  This was in spite of the fact that Black Americans make up just 15 percent of the Black population in the United States.

Between 2014 and 2018, the number of new diagnoses among African Americans dropped by 4 percent.  Although progress has been made in increasing awareness of the disease in this community and reducing diagnoses, more needs to be done. Reaching young African Americans is critical to reducing the incidence of HIV/ AIDS in these communities. Between 2014 and 2018, while there was a drop in new diagnoses, there was an increase of 7 percent in new diagnoses in the 25- to- 35 age category.

The federal Food and Drug administration has approved an injection to prevent exposure to HIV/AIDS, a development that advocates are claiming is a major breakthrough in the fight against this disease.

The drug Aperture is administered in the form of an injection, and studies have found that it provides significant protection against the risk of HIV/AIDS acquired sexually. There are preventive pills that are recommended for at -risk groups, but there are limitations in the use of these. People who have mental disabilities as well as groups that suffer from socioeconomic limitations may struggle to take their pills regularly. Injections, however, are an easier way to provide the same kind of protection. In fact, the injection seems to provide even greater protection than the pills provide. The injection only needs to be administered once every eight weeks to continue to be effective.

For cisgender women, the risk of contracting HIV/AIDS with the use of the injections dropped by 90 percent.  For cisgender males as well as transgender women who had sexual relations with males, the risk dropped by 69 percent.