Race, HIV/AIDS and the Drug War

(2002) "Among jail inmates in 2002 who had ever been tested for HIV, Hispanics (2.9%) were more than 3 times as likely as whites (0.8%) and twice as likely as blacks (1.2%) to report being HIV positive."

(2002) "In 2002 the number of AIDS-related deaths in local jails was 42, down from 58 in 2000 (table 11). The rate of AIDS-related deaths was down from 9 per 100,000 inmates in 2000 to 6 per 100,000 in 2002. Of the 42 inmates who died from AIDS-related illnesses in 2002, 38 were male and 4 were female. Those who died from AIDS-related illnesses were most likely black (31 inmate deaths) and between the ages 35 and 44 (21 inmate deaths). Over the 3-year period beginning in 2000, a total of 155 local jail inmates died from AIDS-related causes."

"But while drug-free schools remain a fantasy, their policies are contributing to an uneducated underclass that just gets larger, more despairing, and more entrenched. This underclass now includes five million young adults between sixteen and twenty-four who are both out of school and out of work, with few skills and fewer prospects. It includes most ex-prisoners, half of whom lack a high school education, and most of whom are jobless one year after release. And it includes Black Americans and other racial minorities who have never remotely attained the standard of well-being common throughout the developed world."

According to the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC), in 2005, of the 433,760 persons in the US living with AIDS, an estimated 149,658 were Non-Hispanic Whites; 185,988 were Non-Hispanic Blacks; and 78,054 were Hispanic.

"From 2001 through 2005, the estimated number of AIDS cases increased among all racial and ethnic groups (Table 3). In 2005, rates of AIDS cases were 54.1 per 100,000 in the black population, 18.0 per 100,000 in the Hispanic population, 7.4 per 100,000 in the American Indian/Alaska Native population, 5.9 per 100,000 in the white population, and 3.6 per 100,000 in the Asian/Pacific Islander population (Table 5a)."

According to the US Centers for Disease Control, in 2005, of the 123,803 Non-Hispanic Black Male adults or adolescents living with AIDS, 44% of cases were transmitted through male-to-male sexual contact, 28% of cases were transmitted by injection drug use, 8% were transmitted by male-to-male sexual contact and injection drug use, and 19% were transmitted by high-risk sexual contact. Of the 56,689 Non-Hispanic Black Female adults or adolescents living with AIDS in 2005, 32% of cases were transmitted by injection drug use and 66% were transmitted by high-risk heterosexual contact. Of the 130,464 Non-Hispanic White Male adults or adolescents living with AIDS in 2005, 75% of cases were transmitted through male-to-male sexual contact, 10% of cases were transmitted by injection drug use, 9% were transmitted by male-to-male sexual contact and injection drug use, and 4% were transmitted by high-risk sexual contact. Of the 18,641 Non-Hispanic White Female adults or adolescents living with AIDS in 2005, 39% of cases were transmitted by injection drug use and 58% were transmitted by high-risk sexual contact. Of the 61,416 Hispanic Males adults or adolescents living with AIDS in 2005, 56% of cases were transmitted through male-to-male sexual contact, 25% of cases were transmitted by injection drug use, 7% were transmitted by male-to-male sexual contact and injection drug use, and 12% were transmitted by high-risk heterosexual contact. Of the 15,953 Hispanic Female adults or adolescents living with AIDS in 2005, 32% of cases were transmitted by injection drug use and 66% were transmitted by high-risk heterosexual contact.

The Centers for Disease Control reported that in 2003, HIV disease was the 22nd leading cause of death in the US for whites, the 9th leading cause of death for blacks, and the 13th leading cause of death for Hispanics.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control, among non-Hispanic Blacks in the US in 2003 HIV/AIDS was the eighth leading cause of death for those 5-9 years of age, the eighth leading cause of death in the US for those aged 10-14, the ninth among those aged 15-19, the sixth leading cause for those aged 20-24, the fourth leading cause of death for those aged 25-34, the third leading cause of death for those aged 35-44, the third leading cause of death for those aged 45-54, and the ninth leading cause of death for those aged 55-64.

"More than 165,000 African Americans were living with injection-related AIDS or had already died from it by the end of 2001. Many thousands more were infected with the HIV virus. "The HIV/AIDS epidemic has fallen much more harshly upon African Americans than on whites who inject drugs. Among those who inject drugs, African Americans are five times as likely as whites to get AIDS. "In 2000, with all the advances in AIDS treatment, AIDS was still among the top three leading causes of death for African Americans aged 25-54 years. More than half of those deaths were caused by contaminated needles."

According to the US Centers for Disease Control, among Hispanics in the US in 2003 HIV/AIDS was the eighth leading cause of death for those aged 20-24, the sixth leading cause of death among those aged 25-34, the fourth leading cause for those aged 35-44, the fifth leading cause of death for those aged 45-54, and the tenth leading cause of death for those aged 55-64.

"More than 76,000 Latinos living in the United States and Puerto Rico had injection-related AIDS or had already died from it by the end of 2001. Thousands more were infected with the HIV virus. "The HIV/AIDS epidemic has fallen more harshly upon Latinos than on whites who inject drugs. Among those who inject drugs, Latinos are at least one and a half times as likely as whites to get AIDS. "In 2000, with all the advances in AIDS treatment, AIDS was still among the top five leading causes of death for Latinos aged 25-54. More than half of those deaths were caused by contaminated needles."

According to the US Centers for Disease Control, among non-Hispanic Whites in the US in 2003 HIV/AIDS was the sixth leading cause of death among those aged 25-34, and the sixth leading cause of death for those aged 35-44.