HIV/AIDS among African American and Latina Women

There is a big disparity in the spread of HIV/AIDS in the US. According to a study by Advocates for Youth (2012), 84% of all new HIV/AIDS infections of youth involved black Americans and Latinas. This shows how much disparity exits in the spread. It is a big issue that needs to be taken up and resolved. If the fact that these two groups are a minority taken into the equation, the prevalence of the disease in the population becomes even more pronounced. According to the study, the population of Blacks and Latinos represents only 35 % of the entire population. A study by the Kaiser Family Foundation (2014) states that the proportion of youths infected with HIV is 7 % compared to 5 % for whites. Furthermore, black youths represented over 48 % of all deaths associated with HIV. This study seeks to analyze the situation of HIV/AIDS and to provide a way forward.

The stakeholders of the war against the HIV/AIDS epidemic include the government, the health system, and the education system. Each of these individuals must strive together to reduce the number of infections per year among the target population, improving the health situation of those people who are already infected with HIV/AIDS , to reduce disparities in health that are associated with HIV/AIDS and to work towards a more coordinated response among the youth. Since black and Latino youths are the most affected, it is reasonable to target them first since the impact will be more significant.

Causes

Reports show that different factors contribute to the prevalence of HIV among the two groups. First, there is the increase in the number of gays in both communities. The prevalence is higher among blacks. Blacks contributed to over 58 % of all cases of HIV spread between men. According to Advocates for Youth (2012) report, 77 % of all new infections comprised of males. Most of the male cases diagnosed were attributed to gay sexual contact. Second, the aspect of multiple partners was especially widely accepted among Latinos. This has helped in the spread of the virus. According to report, a majority of new infections among women was attributed to heterosexual contact among youthful women.

The risk of contracting HIV with through male-to-male sexual contact has been on the rise over the period between 2006 and 2009. The number of cases of infection among African American men young men who had sex with other men had increased by 48  % in the period between 2007 and 2010 (CDC 2012).

Another issue that is common among both communities is dating violence. Various issues are at play here. Dating violence was common in 20 % of the youths reported (CDC 2012). In such situations, women found it difficult to negotiate for condom use. It was therefore less likely for protective sex to be experienced among the population that experienced dating violence.

The presence of other sexually transmitted infections also contributed to the spread of HIV. It was noted that those who have STIs are at a higher risk of contracting HIV. African American and Latino youths showed a higher prevalence of both Chlamydia and Gonorrhea. These infections therefore also contributed to the spread of HIV (CDC 2012).

Way forward

No single method can be identified as the one most effective way. However, all methods should be used together to lower the risk of spreading the spread of HIV. First, culturally acceptable and competent methods should be used as they have always been used. These include the use of abstinence, faithfulness and the use of contraceptives.  If these methods are used widely, the number of new infections will be greatly challenged.

Second, there has been shown that the use of ARVs lowers the spread of HIV between partners. Partners who were infected had a lower risk of spreading HIV if they used ARVs. This method should be therefore be used. Recently, it has been dubbed “treatment as prevention”. This implies that while treating the infested patient, the uninfected individuals were at a lower risk of getting infected.

There should also be higher communication between parents and their children regarding AIDS. They should communicate about the risk, the protection and impacts (Kaisser Family Foundation 2014). This way, youths are going to be better placed to take care of themselves in terms of avoiding getting infected as well as avoiding unprotected sex, selected protection and taking good care of themselves after infection. It may also impact on social issues like stigmatization and esteem. Finally, more funds should be put into HIV related matters. These include testing of HIV among youths, resolving socio-economic issues, creation and reviewing of a vaccine or cure.

In conclusion, the spread of HIV is higher among African American and Latino youths than among the rest of the population. This could be attributed to various factors including male to male sex, dating violence, multiple partners and the presence of other STIs. To end the issue, stakeholders should focus their attention to education, addressing socio-economic issues, and opening up parent-child communication and funding programs that will improve the chances of the battle against HIV.

References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2012). Vital signs: HIV infection, testing, and risk behaviors among youths-United States. MMWR. Morbidity and mortality weekly report, 61(47), 971.

Advocates for Youth (2012). Young People and HIV in the United States: Most Youth Are Taking Precautions against HIV, but Many Remain Vulnerable.

Kaisser Family Foundation,. 2014. ‘Black Americans And HIV/AIDS’. http://kff.org/hivaids/fact-sheet/black-americans-and-hiv-aids/.