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Prevention Challenges

African Americans face a number of challenges that contribute to the higher rates of HIV infection.

The greater number of people living with HIV (prevalence) in African American communities and the fact that African Americans tend to have sex with partners of the same race/ethnicity means that they face a greater risk of HIV infection with each new sexual encounter.

African American communities continue to experience higher rates of other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) compared with other racial/ethnic communities in the United States. Having an STI can significantly increase the chance of getting or transmitting HIV.

The poverty rate is higher among African Americans�28%�than for any other race. The socio economic issues associated with poverty�including limited access to high-quality health care, housing, and HIV prevention education�directly and indirectly increase the risk for HIV infection, and affect the health of people living with and at risk for HIV infection.

Lack of awareness of HIV status can affect HIV rates in communities. Almost 100,000 people in the African American community in 2009 were unaware of their HIV status. Late diagnosis of HIV infection is common, which results in missed opportunities to get early medical care and prevent transmission to others.

Stigma, fear, discrimination, homophobia, and negative perceptions about HIV testing can also place too many African Americans at higher risk. Many at risk for infection fear stigma more than infection and may choose instead to hide their high-risk behavior rather than seek counseling and testing.

What CDC Is Doing

CDC and its partners are pursuing a High-Impact Preventionapproach to advance the goals of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy and maximize the effectiveness of current HIV prevention methods. Activities include:

Phases of the Act Against AIDS campaign, including Take Charge. Take the Test. to encourage African American women to get tested for HIV; Testing Makes Us Stronger, to increase HIV testing among black gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men; and Let�s Stop HIV Together, to address stigma and raises awareness.

The Care and Prevention in the United States (CAPUS)Demonstration Project that supports increased testing and optimizes linkage to, retention in, and re-engagement with care and prevention services for newly diagnosed and previously diagnosed racial and ethnic minorities with HIV.

࿽ HIV prevention projects for community-based organizations to provide effective HIV prevention services over 5 years to gay, bisexual, and transgender youth of color and their partners.

࿽ Awards to health departments to support the goals of High-Impact Prevention. These awards direct resources to the geographic areas of greatest need and prioritize the HIV prevention strategies that will have the greatest impact on the US epidemic.

࿽ A second 3-year expanded HIV testing program to increase HIV testing among African Americans. The Expanded Testing Initiative includes 30 health departments and focuses on increasing HIV testing among African Americans and Latinos as well as MSM and injection drug users of all races and ethnicities.

࿽ The MSM Testing Initiative to establish and evaluate an HIV testing and linkage-to-care program that will identify MSM with HIV who were previously unaware of their infection and link them to HIV medical care.

Support and technical assistance to health departments and community-based organizations to deliver effective prevention interventions for African Americans, such asWILLOW, d-up: Defend Yourself!, and Mpowerment.

aThe term men who have sex with men (MSM) is used in CDC surveillance systems. It indicates the behaviors that transmit HIV infection, not how individuals self-identify in terms of their sexuality.

bHIV and AIDS Diagnoses indicates when a person is diagnosed with HIV infection or AIDS but does not indicate when the person was infected.