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The United States has given about $15 billion to PEPFAR nations in the past five years.” — President’s Emergency Plan For Aids Relief

Report: Black U.S. AIDS rates rival some African nations
Story Highlights

Report: AIDS epidemic in black America as severe as in parts of Africa

CDC: About half of the just over 1 million Americans living with HIV
or AIDS are black

AIDS leading cause of death among black women between ages 25 and 34

In Washington, more than 80 percent of HIV cases are among black
people

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) — The AIDS epidemic among African-
Americans in some parts of the United States is as severe as in parts
of Africa, according to a report out Tuesday.

“Left Behind - Black America: A Neglected Priority in the Global
AIDS” is intended to raise awareness and remind the public that
the “AIDS epidemic is not over in America, especially not in Black
America,” says the report, published by the Black AIDS Institute, an
HIV/AIDS think tank focused exclusively on African-Americans.

“AIDS in America today is a black disease,” says Phill Wilson,
founder and CEO of the institute and himself HIV-positive for 20
years. “2006 CDC data tell us that about half of the just over 1
million Americans living with HIV or AIDS are black.”

Although black people represent only about one in eight Americans,
one in every two people living with HIV in the United States is
black, the report notes.

The report uses just-released data from UNAIDS and existing CDC and
Census data to highlight grim statistics:

• AIDS remains the leading cause of death among black women between
ages 25 and 34. It’s the second-leading cause of death in black men
35-44. Explainer: AIDS: A black disease »

• In Washington, more than 80 percent of HIV cases are among black
people, that’s one in 20 residents. iReport: AIDS in Washington’s
older population

“Five percent of the entire population (in DC) is infected… that’s
comparable to countries like Uganda or South Africa,” Dr. Anthony
Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious
Diseases, told CNN for the recent “Black in America” documentary.

According to this report, if black Americans made up their own
country, it would rank above Ethiopia (420,000 to 1,300,000) and
below Ivory Coast (750,000) in HIV population. Both Ethiopia and the
Ivory Coast are among the 15 nations receiving funds from the
President’s Emergency Plan For Aids Relief. The United States has
given about $15 billion to PEPFAR nations in the past five years.
Tell us: What’s your experience being black in America?

The Black AIDS Institute says it’s not criticizing the federal
government for helping poorer countries cope with the AIDS epidemic.
Rather, it’s saying the “AIDS epidemic [in the U.S.] is not getting
the kind attention that it merits.” Watch more on the new report on
AIDS and African-Americans »

“We understand the needs of black folk in Johannesburg (South
Africa),” Wilson says. “Why can’t we understand the needs of them in
Jackson, Mississippi? We understand the needs in Nigeria or Botswana,
why not understand the needs of Los Angeles or Oakland?” Watch: AIDS
in the black community »

Wilson says more needs to be done to prevent the spread of HIV in
this country. The report states that the U.S. government “increased
spending on HIV prevention, treatment and support programs for low-
income countries dramatically, at the same time that domestic
remained all but flat.” Dr. Sanjay Gupta on genes, African-Americans
and HIV risk »

According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, domestic prevention
efforts make up the smallest part of the HIV/AIDs budget, the 2009
budget request includes $892 million for domestic HIV prevention
efforts, the same as in 2008. [Compare to $15 Billion for foreign
aid] iReport.com: Spelman women discuss HIV and AIDS

In this report, Wilson and others urge the federal government and
private foundations to significantly increase funding for HIV
prevention and treatment programs. The report also calls on
international agencies to hold the U.S. government accountable for
failure to address HIV/AIDS epidemic in its own country (despite
lauding it for its PEPFAR efforts). It also urges black communities
in the United States to fight the stigma and overcome prejudice
associated with being infected with HIV.

“Peggy” found out 10 years ago that she was HIV positive. The fact
that she’s asked us to not use her real name is an example of the
stigma that’s still attached to having the virus that causes AIDS,
especially in the African-American community.

“I don’t really talk to many other people about it, ’cause I guess
maybe, they don’t want to talk,” says the 27-year-old Lake Charles,
Louisiana, woman. Others like her, she says, are still too ashamed to
admit they have HIV.

Marvelyn Brown, 24, of Washington, is more open about her status. She
learned she had HIV when she was only 19, after one time of
unprotected sex while in a monogamous relationship.

Brown has told her story in a book, “The Naked Truth, ” and to CNN in
last week’s special report, “Black in America.” She regularly
addresses community groups, trying to help educate blacks about the
risk of of HIV and AIDS.

The report was funded by the Ford Foundation and the Elton John AIDS
Foundation.