We know that when they find out they are infected with HIV, many people will change their behaviors to protect their partners from being infected. Modeling studies indicate that increasing awareness of seropositivity can reduce new HIV infections; furthermore, coupling universal testing with universal treatment could theoretically put an end to the pandemic. Identifying HIV infection early in its course is critical. Getting tested for HIV is a step in ending the epidemic for African Americans, yet many barriers exist to getting tested. In an effort to increase HIV testing, in the U. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC , issued new recommendations to encourage that everyone ages 13—64 -- regardless of risk factors — be tested for HIV in healthcare settings.
Data Protection Choices
Why are straight black women in Philly at high risk of HIV? Map offers clues
Rumor and contemporary legend theory allows reinterpretation of rumors as a measure of trust between the African American public and health professionals, not as evidence of ignorance or of historical racial oppression. Despite major advances in knowledge about the HIV virus, modes of transmission, and treatments that can reduce viral load and extend life, the spread of HIV among African Americans, especially African American men who have sex with men, has remained stubbornly resistant to interventions. As of , These relationships, however, work only if people trust the sources of official information. Initially, AIDS rumors were widespread, because the social context provided what rumor theorists have identified as fertile ground for the growth and persistence of rumors: a dearth of trusted information in conjunction with high levels of social anxiety. They demanded action commensurate with the health crisis: scientific knowledge to replace fears, ignorance, and uninformed suppositions. Experts no longer dispute the facts about the causes and modes of transmission for AIDS; as a direct result, we know how to stop HIV from spreading: through such measures as safe sex, clean needles, regular testing, and a screened blood supply, although not everyone follows these practices.



Rumors and Realities: Making Sense of HIV/AIDS Conspiracy Narratives and Contemporary Legends
Researchers at Public Health Management Corporation PHMC published a study in the American Journal of Public Health showing that Black men who have sex with men MSM and women and identify themselves as on the down low DL engage in the same level of risk with women as behaviorally bisexual men who do not identify themselves as down low. PHMC senior researcher Dr. Based on interviews with over 1, Black gay, bisexual and straight-identified MSM, the study focuses on residents from Philadelphia and New York City, including men who considered themselves DL.






But no one can yet say exactly why — or how to fix the problem. It's probably not behavior: Studies indicate that African American women have fewer sexual partners and are more likely to use condoms than white women from similar economic backgrounds. And they are not members of the highest-risk demographic: gay and bisexual men. Public health campaigns for years focused on targeting HIV prevention efforts at the most vulnerable populations. Bridgette Brawner , who studies neighborhood influences on health at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, coined a term to help explain the risk that people in these pockets face: geobehavioral vulnerability.
Holy crap.
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