A report published by the Center of disease Control and Prevention reveals that African Americans continue to be the main victims of HIV in the US. Both regarding the volume of new infections –47 percent of those diagnosed with the immunological illness in 2012 pertained to this community—as well as existing infections – 41 percent of those diagnosed in 2011 were also African Americans, the community has become the most victimized by this autoimmune illness. The data is especially significant when one considers that in 2011, of the 1.2 million patients, approximately 391,100 were black. 

However, the disproportion becomes even more evident upon studying the number of those deceased due to this illness. So, of the 17,166 people infected with HIV that lost their lives to this disease in this country in 2012, over half –8.165—were African Americans, while 5,416 were white, 2,586 Latinos and 989 of other ethnic groups.  Figures –of those deceased both at world level and by race—that have been significantly reduced in the last five years, to such point that in 2008, the number of deceased stood at 19,421 (9,920 African Americans, 5,662 whites, 2,949 Latinos and 890 of other ethnic groups).

Not knowing that you are infected is one of the main problems. “Normally, African Americans infected with HIV are less liable of being diagnosed with the virus, with 15 percent of them unknowingly infected (according to data from 2011), compared to 12 percent of whites”, the study from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention points out. Also working against them are the numbers relating to treatment, registering a percentage –for both diagnosed and treated patients— lower than that of other racial communities.

In terms of states, Florida (with 1,147 African Americans that have died from HIV) and New York (with 1,081) were  those who attended to the greatest number of deceased; while in states such as Idaho, Maine, Montana, North Dakota, south Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming, the number of deceased African Americans was zero.   In Pennsylvania, the total number of deaths was 701, of which 321 were African Americans, 243 were whites and 89, Latinos.

But not all the data is negative. The study also reveals a positive aspect: a reduction in both the number of deaths as well as in their mortality ratio.