I recently met a woman in her 40s who shared with me that she had never had an HIV test. Even though she was divorced, had a few children, and was currently dating, she had never taken one of the most important tests in her life. I was speechless but not surprised.
During the ‘80s when HIV entered the scene, most people thought of it as the gay man’s disease. That perception was conceived because most of the cases at the time were in homosexual men. Since that infamous day over 20 years ago, November 8, 1991 when Magic Johnson announced at a press conference that he was HIV positive, you would think people would subsequently view this life altering disease as a disease that could affect anyone. You would then reason that people would want to know their status. Unfortunately, statistics tell us differently.
HIV, the Human Immunodeficiency Virus, is the virus that causes AIDS, Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. This virus damages the body’s CD4 cells which are important in fighting infections and diseases. Even though persons who are newly infected with HIV may be asymptomatic, the virus is methodically destroying the immune system. There is no cure for AIDS. If left untreated, AIDS patients could potentially die of opportunistic infections such as pneumonia or tuberculosis.
The CDC reports that in the United States approximately 50,000 people are newly infected with HIV each year. Most of the new infections occurred in gay and bisexual men. Heterosexual contact was the next highest method of HIV transmission. Black women and men had an HIV incidence rate that was almost eight times as high as the incidence rate of whites. Although blacks made up only 14 percent of the population in 2009, they made up 44 percent of the newly diagnosed HIV infections. In that same reporting year, 85 percent of Black women with HIV acquired it through heterosexual intercourse.
The lack of awareness of HIV status is a huge problem in the African American community. Per the CDC, approximately one in five adults and adolescents in the US living with HIV are unaware of their status. Late diagnoses are common in the African American community which often delays appropriate medical therapies and prevention to others. Outcomes are improved if individuals are diagnosed and linked to coordinated medical care earlier rather than later.
So knowing the above information, I am amazed at the number of people who continue to have unprotected intercourse. When patients tell me that they are having intercourse and not using condoms, I often pose a very simple question to them: “Do you trust this partner with your life?” The most common response is no or “expletive” NO! I then go on to offer these patients STI (Sexually Transmitted Infection) testing including an HIV test. Believe it or not, some refuse.
Fear, homophobia, and stigma place African Americans in a very dangerous health position. A lot of people in our communities fear the stigma worse than the disease. I also believe that people have this false since of security about the disease since Magic Johnson is doing so well. But please hear me loud and clear. Magic Johnson is not cured. He is treated. Mr. Johnson is wealthy enough to have the best doctors, most current medications, and the best nutritional staff.
By no means am I saying that being diagnosed with HIV is a death sentence. Our treatments of this horrific disease have come a long way since the 1980s. However, our community needs to be a lot more proactive. That’s why I applaud organizations like Faith Communities United. They recently had a Remembrance and Hope Service on World AIDS Day, Sunday, December 2. I applaud them for doing grassroots organizing to make a difference. This organization does a lot of advocacy within religious institutions so that this stigma and fear can be eradicated.
Bottom line: everyone needs to be tested. Single people, married people, heterosexuals, homosexuals, and bisexuals all need to be tested.
My name is Denise Hooks-Anderson. I am a married mother of two children and I am HIV negative. What is your status?
Yours in Service,
Denise Hooks-Anderson, M.D.
Assistant Professor
SLUCare Family Medicine
yourhealthmatters@stlamerican.com
