AIDS hitting ethnic groups hard in Western countries: activists
The spread of HIV and AIDS among Africans and those of Caribbean descentis an epidemic in Western industrialized countries, the 16th International AIDS Conference in Toronto heard Wednesday.
"HIV has increasingly become a black and brown disease, abroad and domestically," said Cornelius Baker, former executive director of the National Association of People with AIDS. "Blacks in the U.S. have become disproportionally affected by HIV, regardless of risk group, gender or geography."
Baker says although only 13 per cent of the American population comes from African or Caribbean descent, they represent 49 per cent of all HIV/AIDS cases.
It is also a vulnerable group in Canada, says Esther Tharao, co-chair of the African and Caribbean Council.
"African and Caribbean people living in Ontario actually constitute one of the fastest-growing groups affected by HIV," she says, noting they represent about 13 per cent of all HIV infections in Ontario.
The picture for African and Caribbean communities is quite complex, but there are some common factors, says Kevin Fenton, director of the National Centre for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention.
Cultural factors such as attitudes about sex and homophobia, and societal factors such as racism and discrimination have contributed to its spread, he says.
These factors impact whether people go for testing, and once they know they're HIV positive, whether they go for medical care, says Tharao.
Baker says that access to health care is one of the most significant factors contributing to the spread.
"We have considerable policies that have denied black men in particular access to care or general public support," he says.
Baker says nearly half of eligible HIV positive adults are not receiving treatment, and those of African and Caribbean descent have less access to highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART) and anti-retroviral drugs.
The subject's taboo nature is part of the reason HIV and AIDS in this particular community hasn't been addressed adequately, says Fenton.
"In dealing with this issue is the intersection between race and sex, and this is very politically charged," says Fenton.
To tackle the problem, Fenton says they need more research to define the true nature of the problem. And, he says, they need to involve these communities to find culturally appropriate, and culturally sensitive interventions that will work.
"We need to rearrange our services to truly market and target the [African and Caribbean] diaspora."