Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily…Isaiah 58:8a

National Statistics

National statistics from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP) and the Harvard AIDS Institute compiled by SWPAPC (Let's Turn the Light on the Facts Information Sheet):

• Of the estimated 40,000 new HIV Infections each year, more than 50 percent occur among African-Americans.
• In 1998, African-American women constituted 64% of new female AIDS cases, African-American men accounted for 50% of new AIDS cases among men.
• AIDS is the number one cause of death for African-American adults aged 25 to 44 before heart disease, cancer and homicide.
• One in 50 African-American men is HIV-Positive. One in 160 African-American women is HIV-Positive.
• African-American senior citizens represent more than 50% of HIV cases among persons over age 55.
• Intravenous drug use is fueling the epidemic in African-American communities. It accounts for 43% of infections among African-American women and 38% among African-American men. Many women contact HIV infection through sex with an injection drug user.
• African-American children represent almost two/thirds (62%) of all reported pediatric AIDS cases.

Allegheny County Statistics