It is estimated that 1 million Americans today are infected with HIV, and one-fourth of them are unaware of their infection. And despite a continuing campaign of awareness and prevention messages, about 40,000 more people are infected every year.

HIV/AIDS continues to hit minorities, particularly African-Americans, the hardest. Although African-Americans make up just 13 percent of the U.S. population, they accounted for half of the new diagnoses of HIV/AIDS in 2004. Forty percent of all AIDS cases since the beginning of the epidemic are African-Americans, and once infected, they do not live as long as people in other racial or ethnic groups.

Young people (13 to 24 years old) also are at a particularly high risk of contracting HIV. In 2004, an estimated 5,000 young people received a new diagnosis of HIV/AIDS, which was 13 percent of all new diagnoses that year.

Policymakers can help fight HIV/AIDS infections through a variety of ways, including:

• Reducing barriers that prevent people from getting tested, such as written consent requirements before testing;
• Supporting efforts to make HIV testing a routine part of medical care, such as anti-stigma campaigns and working closely with health care providers to stress the importance of testing;
• Requiring the use of confidential, name-based reporting of all HIV infections; and
• Working locally to keep HIV/AIDS on the state's public health agenda.

In 2006, CDC released new HIV testing recommendations designed to make testing a routine part of care for all patients. The recommendations encourage routine testing for patients in most health care settings. The HIV Screening State Policy Workgroup, an ad-hoc coalition of national organizations, has released this letter explaining some of the reasons behind the recommendations and why they are necessary. Also included is a brief list of resources for those who want to learn more about HIV testing.

Community Health Resources

Learn more about preventing HIV/AIDS and Other STDs in CDC's Community Health Resources, including fact sheets, state and local program contacts, communication materials and state data.

Overcoming the Epidemic: Racial Disparities in HIV and STDsDespite the fact that they make up only about 13 percent of the population, African-Americans continue to shoulder a disproportionately large burden of HIV and sexually transmitted disease (STD) infections. According to the CDC's 2004 HIV/AIDS Surveillance Report, for example, African-Americans accounted for 50 percent of all cases diagnosed in 2004. While efforts by federal agencies to reduce these disparities have made some progress in closing the gap, there is still much work to be done.

This article provides information about rates of infection, outlines ongoing federal intervention programs, and offers suggestions to state and local agencies for reducing the spread of HIV and STDs.

A Growing Concern: Latinas, HIV/AIDS and Other STDs

The Hispanic population is growing rapidly in the United States, an estimated 41 million and rising, but it also is experiencing an increase in the infection rates for HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. Of the more than 900,000 AIDS cases reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention through 2004, 18 percent were among Hispanic adults and adolescents. Hispanics are more likely to have full-blown AIDS within one year of their HIV diagnosis and are more likely to die faster (within 18 months of diagnosis) when compared to all other racial/ethnic groups. Hispanic women also are disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS. It is now one of the leading causes of death for Hispanic women aged 35-44.

In an article produced by the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators, find out what the federal government is doing to prevent new infections, the barriers that stand in the way of prevention efforts in the Hispanic/Latino community and what state legislators can do to help curb this epidemic.