2/5/2008

Contact: Robert Yule
202-448-8456
ryule@pedaids.org

National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day Highlights High Rate of Infection, Need for More Testing

Washington, D.C.—The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation is urging the African-American community to step up HIV testing and counseling, especially among pregnant women, as National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day approaches on February 7.

“Getting an HIV test takes courage, but it is a tremendous act of compassion and hope,” said Pamela W. Barnes, President and CEO of the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. “Knowing your HIV status is the essential first step to eradicate this disease and one of the simplest ways to help save an infant’s life. On this National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, we can create an HIV-free future for countless children by making a commitment to testing and treatment.”

High rates of HIV infection in the African-American community are alarming. According to 2005 data, the most recent available from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), blacks make up approximately 13 percent of the U.S. population, but account for 49 percent of new HIV/AIDS diagnoses. The rate of AIDS diagnosis for black women is nearly 23 times the rate for white women. HIV/AIDS infection among African-American infants is high as well. Of the 141 infants perinatally infected with HIV in 2006, 65 percent were black.

A report released in November 2007 by the District of Columbia Department of Health found that the nation’s capital has the highest rate of AIDS of any major U.S. city, with HIV/AIDS infections disproportionately affecting the African-American population by a large margin. The majority of HIV cases through 2006 in children younger than 13 in the District were caused by mother-to-child transmission, and more than 97 percent of children affected by HIV in the District are black.

Testing is a key component of HIV prevention, and testing of pregnant women is one of the most effective ways to reduce mother-to-child transmission.

“The HIV/AIDS crisis confronting the African-American community is of grave concern,” Barnes added. “The good news is we are not powerless to stop it. Thanks to groundbreaking medical advances, it is now possible for an HIV-positive woman to give birth to a healthy, HIV-negative baby. This is why it is so important that all pregnant women get tested early, so we can stop HIV before it moves into the next generation.”

Universal, routine counseling and HIV testing are the most effective ways to increase the number of pregnant women who know their HIV status, and give them the chance to protect their own health and the health of their babies. If a woman finds out that she is HIV-positive, she can begin treatment that can reduce the risk of passing HIV to her baby to less than two percent.

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About the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation
The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation is a worldwide leader in the fight against pediatric AIDS. The Foundation’s innovative research programs, collaborative training initiatives, advocacy efforts, and rapidly expanding international prevention and treatment programs are bringing hope to the lives of children and families affected by AIDS worldwide.