Rates of HIV infection in US remain highest among blacks

Laffoon B. MMWR. 2011;60:93-98.

Issue: March 2011

Although blacks comprise only 13.6% of the US population, they accounted for more than 50% of HIV diagnoses across 37 states from 2005 to 2008, according to data from the National HIV Surveillance System.

“Reducing HIV risk behaviors and increasing access to testing and referral to health care can help eliminate disparities between blacks and other ethnic populations in the rates at which HIV infection is diagnosed,” the researchers wrote.

CDC officials assessed trends in annual rates of HIV diagnoses by race and gender and found that during 2008, black males and females were diagnosed with HIV at eight and 19 times the rate as white males and females, respectively. Moreover, when compared with Hispanic males and females, black males and females were diagnosed with HIV at two and four times the rate, respectively.

The number of HIV diagnoses among black males increased each year during 2005 and 2008 and accounted for the largest percentage of HIV diagnoses for each age group. Specifically, black males aged 13 to 24 years accounted for 30.9% of HIV diagnoses, followed by males aged 25 to 34 years (28.7%) and males aged 35 to 44 years (23.7%).

Transmission of HIV in black adolescent and adult males was highest for male-to-male sexual contact (61.1%), followed by heterosexual contact (23.1%), injection drug-use (11.9%), and combined male-to-male sexual contact and injection drug-use (3.6%).

Compared with whites, who accounted for 67.9% of the US population and 29.4% of HIV diagnoses, blacks accounted for 50.3% of HIV diagnoses and only 13.6% of the US population; 13.4% of the population were Hispanic, accounting for 17.8% of HIV diagnoses.

In an accompanying editorial, CDC researchers said: “The higher rates of diagnoses among blacks suggest that adolescents and adults from this population who are at higher risk for HIV infection might benefit from more frequent testing to facilitate earlier diagnosis. [During] 2010, CDC announced a second 3-year expanded HIV testing program that supplements an initiative started in 2007 to increase HIV testing among blacks. Ongoing and increased HIV testing and efforts to ensure referral and access to HIV-related primary medical care are warranted. Lack of knowledge of HIV status and missed opportunities to diagnose HIV in routine clinical settings are contributing factors to the HIV epidemic among blacks.”

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