On National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention is pressing for an end to a health epidemic that disproportionately affects African Americans.
According to the CDC, African Americans make up just 14 percent of the total U.S. population, but account for nearly half of all HIV/AIDS cases in the country.
At current infection rates, one in 16 African-American men will be diagnosed with HIV in their lifetime, and one in 32 African-American women will contract the virus.
Many factors account for such a high rate among African-Americans, but more resources are available now than ever before, said Dr. Kevin Fenton, director of CDC’s National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention.