Testing Critical to Stopping Spread of AIDS in Native Communities
3/20/2008
Contact: Robert Yule
202.448.8456
ryule@pedaids.org
National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day Spotlights High Infection Rate, Need for More Testing and Counseling, Particularly for Pregnant Women
Washington, D.C.—For National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day on March 20, the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation is urging all Native Americans, especially women, to seek HIV testing and counseling.
“Getting tested certainly requires courage, but knowing the results is critical to preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS,” said Foundation President and CEO Pamela W. Barnes. “Knowing her status, an HIV-positive woman can receive the proper care and treatment to give birth to a healthy, HIV-negative baby. On National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, we can promote a generation free of HIV and AIDS by committing to testing and treatment.”
HIV/AIDS remains a growing problem for Native communities, including American Indians, Alaska Natives (AI/AN), and Native Hawaiians, as rates of infection continue to rise. According to the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Native communities rank third in rates of HIV/AIDS diagnosis in the United States when population size is taken into account, after African Americans and Hispanics. Studies have also shown that AI/AN have the shortest time between AIDS diagnosis and death, highlighting the critical need for early testing.
Of the hundreds of AI/AN diagnosed with HIV/AIDS each year, 29 percent of new cases are in women. More than 67 percent of women AI/AN contract HIV/AIDS through heterosexual contact, often because they are unaware of their male partners’ potential high-risk factors.
In 2005, CDC data showed that 98 percent of children diagnosed with HIV contracted it through their mothers. Testing is the best way to prevent mother-to-child transmission and protect the health of pregnant women and the health of their babies. If a pregnant woman tests positive, she can reduce the risk of transmitting HIV to her baby to less than two percent by starting treatment early.
“The high rate of HIV/AIDS infection within Native communities is cause for grave concern,” Barnes added, “but focusing on prevention, particularly among women, can help turn this around. It is especially important for pregnant women to receive testing and treatment to prevent the spread of HIV to their babies.”
###
About the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation
The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation is a worldwide leader in the fight against pediatric AIDS. Its innovative research programs, collaborative training initiatives, advocacy efforts, and rapidly expanding international prevention and treatment programs are bringing dramatic changes to the lives of children worldwide.