Forty thousand individuals are diagnosed with HIV every year. Half of the new cases are African-Americans, a public health official told students Thursday at ETSU.
The 40,000 cases annually could actually be much higher. There may be people out there with HIV who don’t get tested, said guest speaker Keith Lindsey, a Community Development Coordinator with the Tennessee Department of Health. “Forty-thousand could be 120,000 or higher,” he said.
In fact, Lindsey, an ETSU alumnus from South Jamaica Queens, said AIDS infections (caused by the disease HIV) among African-Americans have reached staggering proportions over the past 10 years.
“AIDS is now the leading cause of death of African-American men aged 22 to 44 in the United States,” he said. “African-Americans comprise 12 percent of the United States population, but account for half of the newly diagnosed HIV cases.”
One of the reasons why the disease is so prevalent in African- Americans is that some African-American males lead “double lives,” Lindsey said, leading to increased infections among males and females. An African-American male, trying to avoid the stigma of being homosexual, may take a wife and have children but continue to sleep with men, he said.
This can be observed in statistics, he said. Sixty percent of males of all races infected with HIV/AIDS are infected through homosexual encounters, and 37 percent of reported cases in African-American males are men who have sex with men.
However, 65 percent of all females infected with the disease are infected through heterosexual encounters. It is easier for women to contract HIV/AIDS, making it even more important that they insist on using protection during every sexual encounter, Lindsey said.
Lindsey is quick to point out, however, that HIV/AIDS is not a homosexual disease. The virus can be spread by shared needles, from infected mothers to their unborn or nursing children as well as through blood, he said.
Those who use drugs and alcohol increase their chances of contracting a STD, Lindsey said, including HIV/AIDS because they are less aware of what is going on around them.
“Bad habits die hard, failing to improve them will make you die harder,” Lindsey said.
Knowing the risks associated with the disease and taking precautions are some of the best ways to stay safe, he said. By discussing the disease, it is brought out into the open and dealt with.
“Not facing it doesn’t mean its not there,” Lindsey said.
“Discussing the disease and being proactive is not an endorsement of lifestyles and choices, but an opportunity to be a lifesaver to someone,” Lindsey said. “This is not a disease that will fade with time because people do not address the issue, HIV/AIDS is a pandemic affecting millions around the world.”
Lindsey urged people to find out about the disease and get tested. “Get informed, get empowered,” he said. “If you’re in doubt about your health, get tested. If you’ve been with someone you’re not sure about, get tested.
“If you’ve had unprotected sex, get tested. Even if you just want someone to talk to about the disease, there are free services available.”
Lindsey encouraged all those attending the presentation to spread the word about HIV/AIDS to friends and relatives, especially African-Americans.
“Together we can fight the deadly killer,” he said.

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