AIDS among African Americans: A Social Epidemic

Abstract

This article provides an overview of the history of AIDS in the United States. In 1985, a formal analysis of AIDS among Blacks was initiated. The Centers for Disease Control sponsored the first national conference on AIDS in minority communities in August 1987, an official acknowledgment that the HIVepidemic disproportionately affected Blacks. This article provides surveillance data for several groups of Blacks including women and men who have sex with men. Projections on AIDS cumulative incidence among Blacks within the next several years are also provided in the article.