By Jon-Michael Sullivan
Who HIV/AIDS Affects*:
- In the South, 58 percent of new AIDS cases reported in 2006 were African American.
- The HIV/AIDS death rate (per 100,000) among African-American women ages 25 to 44 was 23.1 compared to 1.3 for Caucasian women.
- 66 percent of women in the United States diagnosed with AIDS were African American in 2004.
- Over half (52 percent) of African Americans living with AIDS and 58 percent of new AIDS cases reported in 2006 amongAfrican Americans occurred in the South.
African Americans become infected with and die from HIV/AIDS more than any other racial or ethnic group in the United States, according to the Southern AIDS Coalition. In the South, the transmission of HIV and people living with AIDS is quickly becoming an epidemic.
Ciarra Coleman, 21, from Milledgeville, Ga., decided, on a whim, to take an HIV test after her doctor recommended it. She made the appointment for a prescription for birth control.
“The doctor asked if I wanted to get tested while I was there, and I said, ‘yea sure,’” Coleman said.
Coleman’s test results were positive.
Since her test in June 2008, Coleman has become involved with AIDS Athens, an AIDS support organization (ASO) that serves 10 counties in Northeast Georgia, including Clarke County. Coleman works to increase HIV/AIDS awareness and influence others to get tested.
Coleman said overcoming preconceived notions about persons with HIV can be difficult.
“People just assume you were doing something bad,” Coleman said, “when you were really just having sex like anyone else.”
In 2004, HIV/AIDS was the leading cause of death for African-American women ages 25-44, and 66 percent of women in the U.S. diagnosed with AIDS were African American.
At the forefront of the problem is a lack of communication between sexual partners.
“There are a lot of men who don’t disclose their status,” said Justine Sher, case manager for AIDS Athens. “It may be a power issue or a situation where they don’t want to negotiate condom use.”
For African-American women living with HIV/AIDS, the most common method of transmission was high-risk heterosexual contact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Because there is a higher concentration of the virus in semen compared to vaginal fluid women are putting themselves at a greater risk by not using contraceptives.
“Behavioral changes, like condom use, are necessary,” Coleman said. “And those are the hardest to change in any culture.”
In 2008, 75 percent of AID Atlanta’s client population was African American. Additionally, 69 percent of clients were males who report sex with another male as the mode of HIV transmission.
“The same shame that’s associated with HIV in our community is the same shame that’s associated with being gay,” said Patrick Kelly, community relations manager of National AIDS Education & Services for Minorities, Inc.
Colloquially known as “the down low,” some African-American men have sex with women while secretly having sex with men. These men do not identify as gay or bisexual, most often to avoid social stigma. Unprotected anal sex increases the chance of spreading HIV/AIDS to unsuspecting women.
“Whatever you want to call it, being in the closet has been around for years,” said Kelly. “It’s nothing new. Taking ownership of the disease in our community is something that needs to be done.”
For those who are sexually active, Coleman said it is important that you are tested for HIV/AIDS. AIDS Athens reported over 500 tests administered last year.
Tests that are most commonly used to detect HIV infection require a blood or saliva sample. Typically the results are not available for a few days; however, some tests, such as rapid HIV testing, can give results as quickly as 20 minutes.
Anonymous rapid HIV testing and counseling is offered by appointment at the University Health Center for $35. HIV testing is also available at AIDS Athens, which is located at 112 Park Ave., and other ASOs throughout Georgia.
*This would be a "fast facts" sidebar
