Changing Face Of HIV In Black Communities Over 30 Years

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By Dr. Tyeese Gaines Reid

When the first case of AIDS was reported on June 5, 1981, AIDS was described as a disease of white gay men. Among the terms experts considered naming this new disease, GRID -- gay-related immune deficiency -- is commonly recalled. Now, 30 years later, the face of HIV and AIDS very much includes black America -- with men who have sex with men and heterosexual women most affected.

Contrary to early perceptions, black Americans were always significantly affected by the HIV epidemic from the early days. By the end of 1981, almost 20 percent of all reported AIDS cases were among African-Americans who, at the time, only made up 13 percent of the population, according to the CDC.

However, the false perception that the epidemic did not include blacks may have fueled the changing face of HIV. This "white gay man's disease" shifted in 1990, when the number of new HIV diagnoses among black Americans exceeded the number of new diagnoses among whites. This trend continued until the present. CONTINUE....