National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness day is Wednesday, the day the Loaf hits the streets. The rate of reported AIDS cases among African-American men is eight times that of white men. Among black women, it is 25 times that of their white counterparts.
• HIV infections reported in Mecklenburg County in 2005:
African-American men — 49 percent
African-American women — 20 percent
White men — 21 percent
White Women — 3 percent
• Top three methods of HIV/AIDS transmission among U.S. black males, 2005:
Male-to-male sex — 48 percent
IV drug use — 23 percent
Hetero contact — 22 percent
• Among U.S. black females, 2005:
Hetero sex — 74
IV drug use — 24
• Among U.S. women of all races, 2005:
Hetero sex — 80
IV drug use — 19
Sources: Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; National Institutes of Health; Mecklenburg County Health Department.
This article appears in Feb 7-13, 2007.
