Another Voice / World AIDS Day
Dr. Sam Ho: African-American women remain at terrible risk
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As we approach World AIDS Day on Tuesday, the troubling incidence of AIDS among African- American women serves as a potent reminder about how far we must travel to effectively manage this disease.
As health care professionals, we like to highlight the tremendous progress we’ve made in treating people with HIV and AIDS. The prescription drugs, long-term care plans and innovative treatments we’re providing to patients are all getting better. In general, Americans with HIV and AIDS are living longer and stronger lives. We’ve come a long way in the 25 years since the AIDS epidemic began.
But we’ve so much more work to do to battle the spread of HIV among African- Americans, and particularly among women. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that nearly half of the more than 1 million Americans living with HIV/AIDS are African- American and that 40 percent of the nearly 563,000 Americans with AIDS who died in 2007 were black.
Among all women in the United States living with HIV/AIDS, 64 percent are African-American. In fact, the rate of AIDS diagnosis for African-American women nationwide is 22 times the rate for white women.
This problem is more pronounced in places like Washington, D. C., where the prevalence of HIV and AIDS among African- American women rivals that of Nigeria.
What’s most frustrating about all this is that AIDS is generally preventable through changes in behavior, increased use of safer-sex practices, testing, basic health care and other forms of prevention.
Sadly, too many people — especially African-American women and young people — are not getting the message. According to the CDC, the United States has the highest rate of teenage infection in the developed world. Every hour, two Americans between the ages of 13 and 24 contract HIV.
We know that regularly testing those most at risk for HIV—and then providing antiretroviral drugs for HIV/AIDS patients — dramatically reduces the number of people who become infected. Without treatment or education, people will continue to transmit the virus to their partners.
Preventing HIV is not complicated. If you’re sexually active, get tested. Don’t use IV drugs or share needles. Abstain or practice safer sex. With preventive care, you and your health care provider can fight and manage this disease and slow its spread.
Perhaps the best advice is to get educated. Don’t be shy about discussing these issues. It’s better to talk about sensitive subjects with someone you trust than to let a lack of information threaten your life.
For more information, visit worldAIDSday.org.
Sam Ho, M. D., is the chief medical officer for UnitedHealthcare.
Published: November 28, 2009, 12:30 am