National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

February 7 marks the 12th annual National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NBHAAD), a national community mobilization initiative to boost HIV awareness and advance HIV prevention, testing, and treatment among blacks in the United States.

HIV and AIDS Disproportionately Affect Blacks

Among all racial/ethnic groups, African Americans bear the greatest burden of HIV in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 1 in 16 black men and 1 in 32 black women will be diagnosed with HIV infection during their lifetimes. In 2009, blacks made up 14% of the US population but accounted for nearly half (44%) of all new HIV infections. Recent CDC data showed an alarming 48% increase in new HIV infections from 2006 to 2009 among young, black men who have sex with men (MSM), aged 13 to 29 years. Black women, most of whom are infected through heterosexual contact, are far more affected by HIV than women of other races. The rate of new HIV infections for black women is more than 15 times as high as that of white women, and more than 3 times as high as that of Latino women.

Today, we have many more opportunities than ever before to reduce the disproportionate burden that black men, women, and young adults bear. Working together with state and local public health agencies, black communities, and other partners in the public and private sectors, CDC has stepped up efforts to address the HIV epidemic in black communities. One of these efforts is National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NBHAAD). NBHAAD is directed, planned, and organized by the Strategic Leadership Council, a group of organizations that partner with CDC to mobilize communities across the country to fight HIV and lessen its impact on black communities.

Why Are Blacks More Severely Burdened?

• Blacks face a higher risk of being exposed to HIV infection with each new sexual encounter because more people are living with HIV in black communities, and most blacks have partners who are of the same race/ethnicity.
• Compared with other racial/ethnic groups, blacks continue to experience higher rates of other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), which can increase the chance of contracting and spreading HIV.
• Blacks do not engage in more risky behavior than members of other racial/ethnic populations. Many of the factors that place blacks at higher risk for chronic diseases also place them at increased risk for HIV. For example, social and economic realities prevalent among blacks—such as higher levels of poverty, racial discrimination, limited access to health care and housing, and higher rates of incarceration—are associated with increased HIV risk.
• Lack of awareness of HIV status can affect HIV rates in all communities. Approximately 1 in 5 adults and adolescents in the United States living with HIV do not know they are infected. This translates to approximately 116,750 persons in the black community. Black MSM are particularly burdened with HIV. In 21 major cities, 28% of black MSM were infected with HIV, and 59% of those did not know they were infected.
• Fear of disclosing risk behavior or sexual orientation may prevent blacks from seeking testing, prevention and treatment services, and support from friends and family.

What CDC Is Doing to Reduce HIV infection in Black Communities

• CDC and its partners are pursuing a high-impact prevention approach to advance the goals of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy and maximize the effectiveness of current HIV prevention methods. CDC supports a wide-range of prevention efforts across the United States for African American women, men and at-risk youth that are conducted on by health departments, national and community-based organizations and other organizations. Here are some of the many activities focused on preventing HIV among blacks. Act Against AIDS, a national communications campaign, focuses on reducing the risk of infection among the hardest-hit populations—gay and bisexual men, blacks, and Latinos. Two campaigns are directed specifically to blacks: Take Charge. Take the Test encourages black women to get tested for HIV, and Testing Makes Us Stronger aims to increase HIV testing among black gay and bisexual men. For more information, visit the Act Against AIDS web site.
• An active part of the Act Against AIDS campaign, the Act Against AIDS Leadership Initiative (AAALI) is a 6-year partnership between CDC and many of the country's leading organizations that represent the populations hardest hit by HIV. AAALI was initially formed to intensify HIV prevention efforts in black communities, and has since expanded to include organizations that focus on black MSM and the Latino community, as well.
• In 2010, CDC announced a second 3-year expanded HIV testing program that builds on an initiative started in 2007 to increase HIV testing among blacks. In the first 3 years of the project, more than 2.8 million tests were conducted and 18,432 people were newly diagnosed with HIV. Most of the people tested (57.4%) and diagnosed with HIV (66%) were black. The expanded program focuses on increasing HIV testing among blacks and Latinos, as well as among MSM and injection drug users of all races and ethnicities. In 2012, this program was joined with CDC's HIV prevention efforts conducted by health departments.
• In September 2011, CDC funded 34 community-based organizations to expand HIV prevention services over 5 years for gay, bisexual, and transgender youth of color and their partners.

National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

For 12 years, February 7 has been designated as National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NBHAAD). This national community mobilization initiative motivates blacks to

• Get educated about the basic facts related to HIV and AIDS, including how HIV is spread; this information is available on CDC's HIV website.
• Get tested to find out their HIV status. Knowing your status saves lives!
• Get involved in their local communities to raise HIV awareness and fight stigma associated with the disease.
• Get treated if they are living with HIV or are newly diagnosed.

The theme for 2012, I Am My Brother's/Sister's Keeper: Fight HIV/AIDS!, is centered around making sure that all black men, women, and young adults, regardless of sexual orientation, economic class, or educational level, see themselves as part of the solution to the HIV epidemic in black communities.

What Can You Do?

• Learn about HIV and AIDS. Educate yourself, friends, and family about HIV and AIDS and what you can do to protect yourself.
• Get tested for HIV. To find a testing site near you, call 1-800-CDC-INFO (232-4636), visit http://www.hivtest.org/, or, on your cell phone, text your ZIP code to KNOW IT (566948).
• Speak out against stigma, homophobia, racism, and other forms of discrimination associated with HIV and AIDS.
• Donate time and money to HIV and AIDS organizations that work within black communities.

What Can Organizations Do?

• Promote NBHAAD within your organization. Organizations and agencies across the nation are getting involved to support NBHAAD. HIV awareness and testing events will provide thousands of blacks with the important information they need to protect their health and the health of their loved ones, and to get involved.
• Encourage employees to get involved in NBHAAD activities.
• Educate staff about HIV and AIDS.
• Develop HIV and AIDS policies for the workplace

National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day Resources:

• NBHAAD Podcast: Dr. Kevin Fenton of CDC talks about the HIV epidemic in the African American community and steps everyone can take to stop the spread of HIV.
• National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day 2012

More Information

• CDC: HIV among African Americans
  Information and resources on HIV and AIDS in African American and other black communities.
• CDC: Basic HIV Information
  Learn about HIV and AIDS, how it is and is not transmitted, the risk factors for HIV transmission, preventing transmission, and the symptoms of HIV infection.
• Follow on Facebook: Testing Makes Us Stronger

Stay abreast of campaign news, updates and participate in the conversation.

• Follow TalkHIV on Twitter

Join the conversation about HIV and what can be done to prevent it.

• Act Against AIDS
  Act Against AIDS campaign resources and basic information about HIV and AIDS
• CDC Business and Labor Responds to AIDS
  HIV and AIDS resource for businesses and labor organizations
• AIDS.gov
  Federal HIV and AIDS resources.