After more than thirty years of this
pandemic, there still no cure or vaccine in the near
horizon. Thousands of people infected with HIV or with a
diagnosis of AIDS continue
to die as a result of this devastating immune-destroying
virus. Our current medical advances are effective for
some individuals infected by HIV, but the stigma
associated with the infection continues to run
unrestrained in all levels of our society. The suffering
of those infected with AIDS
continues to be a daily reality for those HIV-infected
individuals with additional psychosocial problems on top
of their HIV infection. Many HIV surviving individuals
and families continue to need help with food,
transportation, housing, substance abuse treatment,
mental health, nursing case management, medication
education, etc. Those members of our community at high
risk of becoming infected need to receive effective
HIV-prevention interventions to ensure they remain
HIV-negative.
Minority AIDS
Project (MAP)
originated in 1985 and is the first community based HIV/AIDS
organization established and managed by people of color
in the United States. MAP is a California nonprofit
organization that provides free of charge educational
and other HIV/AIDS related
support services to eligible individuals without regard
to age, gender, ethnicity, culture, language or other
circumstances. MAP’s services and educational programs
are community-wide and available to all people.
However, from the beginning, the primary focus of our
services and outreach has been the African-American and
Latino communities in Central and South Central Los
Angeles.
Minority
AIDS Project’s goal is to
ensure community based access to respectful and
efficient health promotion and disease prevention
services through the provision of critical support that
works to bridge the gap of services for our multi-ethnic
clients.
Minority
AIDS
Project it dedicated to “reducing suffering and deaths
due to HIV Infection and AIDS Disease in African
American and Latino communities by making HIV/AIDS
education and related health services available and
accessible.” Until the doors opened at
MAP,
these communities had little or no real access to
preventive education and essential health care
services.
National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
There
are many complex social and environmental
factors that fuel the epidemic in African
American communities. Especially concerning is
poverty and the high level of unemployment
within black communities during this current
economic crisis. There are other factors
associated with poverty that directly and
indirectly increase the risk for HIV infection
and affect the health of people living with HIV,
including limited access to quality health care,
housing, and HIV prevention education.
Additionally, higher prevalence of HIV and other
sexually transmitted diseases in black
communities can significantly increase the
chance of contracting HIV infection. Moreover,
stigma and homophobia – far too prevalent in
every community – continue to prevent many
African Americans from seeking HIV testing
External Web Site Icon., prevention and
treatment.
What is HIV and AIDS?
HIV
is the human immunodeficiency virus. It is the
virus that can lead to acquired immune
deficiency syndrome, or AIDS. CDC estimates that
about 56,000 people in the United States
contracted HIV in 2006.
There are two types of HIV, HIV-1
and HIV-2. In the United States, unless
otherwise noted, the term “HIV” primarily refers
to HIV-1.
Both types of HIV damage a
person’s body by destroying specific blood cells,
called CD4+ T cells, which are crucial to
helping the body fight diseases.
Where did HIV come from?
Scientists
identified a type of chimpanzee in West Africa
as the source of HIV infection in humans. They
believe that the chimpanzee version of the
immunodeficiency virus (called simian
immunodeficiency virus or SIV) most likely was
transmitted to humans and mutated into HIV when
humans hunted these chimpanzees for meat and
came into contact with their infected blood.
Over decades, the virus slowly spread across
Africa and later into other parts of the world.
How can HIV be prevented?
Because the most common ways HIV
is transmitted is through anal or vaginal sex or
sharing drug injection equipment with a person
infected with HIV, it is important to take steps
to reduce the risks associated with these. They
include:
Know your HIV status.
Everyone between the ages of 13 and 64
should be tested for HIV at least once. If
you are at increased risk for HIV, you
should be tested for HIV
at least once a year.
If you have HIV, you can get
medical care, treatment, and supportive
services to help you stay healthy and reduce
your ability to transmit the virus to others.
If you are pregnant and find
that you have HIV, treatments are available
to reduce the chance that your baby will
have HIV.
