The Reality of HIV and AIDS in Our Communities

The Reality of HIV and AIDS in Our Communities
By Charniece McGregory

Today we live in a world where HIV and AIDS are common in our black and brown communities all over the world. In certain places of Africa’s 3 out of 4 people are infected with HIV. That’s about 24,500,000 people out of 749 million people are infected with HIV and AIDS. In the U.S 1 million people are infected with HIV and AIDS and about 40,000 people are newly infected each year.
In Alameda County, 13% of the population is African American and Latinos are about 18% of the population.. African American men, who are less than 5% of the population in the county, make up the largest number of people who are infected with HIV and AIDS. Especially, African American and Latino men who have sex with men make up 42% of people who have HIV and AIDS in Alameda county. This affects people of color because we are the fastest growing population of HIV and AIDS infections. We need to understand how we can protect ourselves and our family, friends, and community from getting HIV and AIDS.
A large portion (17%) of men get HIV from having sex with women and 19% of males get it by injection drug use. 73% of women living with HIV and AIDS contract it from their male partners. 23% of women get it from injection drug use and 3% from other. We need to know that HIV does not exclusively target the gay or drug using communities. Since there is no cure for HIV and AIDS you can prevent an infection through practicing safe sex, abstinence, and using clean needles. HIV is only transmitted through blood transfusions and sexual contact.
If you have sex use latex condoms. Women are more likely to contract HIV through vaginal sex with males. At least 20,000 people of the 40,000 infected people are younger than 25. Every hour of everyday 2 young African Americans and Latinos are infected with HIV. The only way you can be sure if you have HIV is to get tested regularly.