CDC: HIV-Related Mortality Disparities Persisting for Blacks

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Original Article:  bit.ly/1C5C3K0

The prevalence of HIV-related mortality is still highest among blacks, and over half of all newly identified HIV-positive persons are black, according to two reports published in the Feb. 6 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Noting that those who self-identify as blacks or African-Americans are disproportionately affected by HIV, Puja Seth, Ph.D., also from the CDC, and colleagues evaluated progress toward increasing HIV testing and service delivery among black. Referencing data from the National HIV Prevention Program Monitoring and Evaluation system, the researchers found that blacks accounted for 45.0 percent of CDC-funded testing events in 2013 and 54.9 percent of newly identified HIV-positive individuals. Among blacks, men who have sex with men had the highest percentage of newly identified HIV-positive persons (9.6 percent).

Full text of article available at link below:  bit.ly/1C5C3K0