Illinois action blog

Thursday, February 7, 2013

National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

Today is National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, which is an opportunity for people to raise awareness about this pandemic and unite in the fight against HIV in the African-American community. We have made great progress so far, but there is still much work to be done.

There are approximately 1.1 million people living with HIV/AIDS in this country, including more than 500,000 African-Americans. African-Americans account for almost half of all HIV infections in the U.S., and are the racial/ethnic demographic group most affected by HIV.

There are a number of reasons why HIV remains such a problem for the African-American community, including lack of insurance and access to health care. African-American women are more likely to be uninsured or under-insured than white women, and they often are forced to delay care because they lack the resources to pay for it. Lack of care unfortunately also means less education about the risks of infection and opportunities for counseling, testing, and treatment.

HIV/AIDS is a serious issue affecting the African-American community, but it is also a worldwide issue affecting people of all races. Regular exams and health screenings can rule out or detect HIV. Knowing your status can help save life. Planned Parenthood of Illinois offers HIV testing, including rapid HIV testing which gives results in 10 minutes, at all of our health centers.

This month can be used as a time when as friends, wives, husbands, daughters, and sons, we can encourage all those we care about to take care of themselves and get the preventive health care they deserve and need. As always we are here and will continue to be here for you — providing care— no matter what.
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This post was created by Planned Parenthood of Illinois (PPIL). PPIL provides comprehensive reproductive healthcare services and education to more than 60,000 Illinoisans each year. Planned Parenthood Illinois Action (PPIA) is an independent, nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization formed as the advocacy and political arm of PPIL.

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