[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 14 (Wednesday, February 8, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E91]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            TRIBUTE TO NATIONAL BLACK HIV/AIDS AWARENESS DAY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CAROLYN McCARTHY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 8, 2006

  Mrs. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to mark the observance of 
National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. AIDS doesn't discriminate. It 
affects every race, age and gender but HIV/AIDS is the leading cause of 
death among African Americans ages 25-44. It has become a state of 
emergency.
  In the United States, over 400,000 people were living with AIDS at 
the end of 2003 and African Americans accounted for half of these AIDS 
cases. The Center for Disease Control suggests that African Americans 
tend to be diagnosed later in life and at a more advanced stage. This 
explains why more blacks die sooner from AIDS related complications 
than any other group in the U.S.
  African American women are hit the hardest. Rates of HIV/AIDS 
diagnosis in African American women are almost 20 times higher than 
white women and 5 times higher than those of Hispanic women. African 
American men are diagnosed at a rate of almost 7 times higher than 
those of white men.
  Unfortunately it doesn't appear that the future is much brighter. 
Today, people under the age of 25 account for half of all new HIV 
infections each year. Within that group, African Americans account for 
56 percent of new infections. No matter what age group one focuses in 
on, blacks are most impacted.
  The President mentioned the AIDS epidemic in his State of the Union 
and the Federal Government must stay active in not just funding 
research initiatives but also in education and improving the lives of 
those in poverty. Nearly 1 in 4 African Americans lives in poverty. 
There is an association between higher AIDS cases and lower income. The 
socioeconomic problems associated with poverty, including limited 
access to high-quality health care and HIV prevention education, 
directly or indirectly increase HIV risk. If we can decrease poverty we 
can decrease the amount of African Americans with HIV/AIDS.
  The Nation must take ownership and reinvigorate the response to the 
crisis within the African American communities and beyond. There must 
be a partnership between local community organizations with Federal and 
state agencies. Together we can combat and defeat this disease.

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