Physical Wellness

Blacks Less Likely To Receive Consistent HIV Care, CDC Report Says

By Jenn Loro | Update Date: Feb 09, 2016 11:42 AM EST

For the past 10 years, HIV/AIDS cases have seen a downward trend in the United States as the number of infections dropped significantly. Despite this positive development, HIV incidence remains an important health issue for American Blacks. Recently updated Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed that blacks are less likely to get consistent HIV care than either whites or Hispanics.

The report stated only 38% of the blacks received ongoing HIV medical care from 2011 to 2013. The figure is in stark contrast with whites (49%) and Hispanics (50%) diagnosed and living with HIV.

"Consistent care matters. It enables people with HIV to live longer, healthier lives, and it prevents new infections. And closing this gap in care will be essential if we are to see the narrowing racial divide in HIV diagnoses close completely," said Jonathan Mermin of CDC's National Center for HIV/AIDS in an official statement as quoted by MedScape.

In terms of new diagnoses, cases of HIV infections had seen an overall decline by 19% from 2005 to 2014 with the largest drop seen among black women with 25% decrease from 2010 to 2014 National HIV Prevention Conference. But fresh cases of infections in the US are mostly attributed to homosexual men with the group accounting for almost 2/3 of new diagnoses as stated in a report by AidsMap.

In a separate development, the United Network for Organ Sharing has approved John Hopkins University School of Medicine as the country's first institution to conduct organ transplants involving HIV positives.

"This is an unbelievably exciting day for our hospital and our team, but more importantly for patients living with HIV and end-stage organ disease. For these individuals, this means a new chance at life," said Prof. Dorry Segev of JHU School of Medicine as mentioned in an article by the Hub.

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