Despite Progress, Persistent Disparities Prolong HIV Epidemic Among African Americans

published on February 4, 2016 by U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in The Body

New CDC Research Finds African Americans Are Less Likely to Receive Ongoing HIV Care Than white and Latino Americans

African Americans living with HIV are less likely than white or Latino Americans to receive consistent, ongoing medical care, according to a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report published today in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR). Despite the promising sign of declining HIV diagnoses over the past decade, these findings demonstrate yet another persistent disparity that prolongs the epidemic among African Americans.

Only 38 percent of African Americans got consistent HIV care from 2011-2013, compared with about half of whites and Latinos, according to the report. Additionally, African American males were less likely to receive consistent medical care than African American females (35 percent and 44 percent, respectively). Among African Americans, receiving consistent HIV care was highest among those whose HIV infections were attributable to heterosexual contact. Those who got consistent HIV medical care for three years were considered consistently retained in care.

People living with HIV who receive ongoing care and treatment not only remain healthier than those who do not, they also dramatically reduce their risk of transmitting the virus to others. According to a separate CDC report published last year and recently updated, it is likely that at least 90 percent of HIV transmission currently comes from people with diagnosed infection who are not retained in care (69 percent) and people whose infection has not been diagnosed (23 percent).

"Consistent care matters. It enables people with HIV to live longer, healthier lives, and it prevents new infections," said Jonathan Mermin, M.D., director of CDC's National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention. "And closing this gap in care will be essential if we are to see the narrowing racial divide in HIV diagnoses close completely."

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Despite Progress, Persistent Disparities Prolong HIV Epidemic Among African Americans

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