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In 2018, Black women represented about one quarter (26%) of new HIV diagnoses among all Blacks – a higher share than Latinas and white women (who represented 12% and 16% of new diagnoses among their respective groups).Although new HIV diagnoses continue to occur disproportionately among Black women, data show a 43% decrease in new diagnoses for Black women between 20.24 Black women also accounted for the largest share of women living with an HIV diagnosis at the end of 2017. Among all women, Black women account for the largest share of new HIV diagnoses (4,114, or 58% in 2018), and the rate of new diagnoses among Black women (23.1) is 14 times the rate among white women and almost 5 times the rate among Latinas.Black women are less likely to have been infected through injection drug use than white women. Black women are most likely to have been infected through heterosexual transmission, the most common transmission route for women overall.The remainder of HIV diagnoses in each group were attributable to other causes, including injection drug use. Among Blacks, 59% of new HIV diagnoses in 2018 were attributable to male-to-male sexual contact and 34% were attributable to heterosexual sex among whites, 67% of new HIV diagnoses in 2018 were attributable to male-to-male sexual contact and 15% were attributable to heterosexual sex. While male-to-male sexual contact accounts for the largest share of HIV cases among both Blacks and whites, proportionately, fewer Blacks contract HIV this way and heterosexual sex plays a bigger role among Blacks compared with whites. Transmission patterns vary by race/ethnicity.In 2017, Blacks had the highest age-adjusted HIV death rate per 100,000 – 6.6, compared to 0.9 per 100,000 whites.
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population, 13 they accounted for 43% of new HIV diagnoses in 2018 (see Figure 1) and an estimated 42% of people living with HIV. Although Black Americans represent only 12% of the U.S.
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Today, there are more than 1.1 million people living with HIV/AIDS in the U.S., including 476,100 who are Black.8, 9 However, given the epidemic’s continued and disproportionate impact among Blacks, a continued focus is critical to addressing HIV in the United States. Despite this impact, recent data indicate some encouraging trends, including declining new HIV diagnoses among Blacks overall, especially among women, and a leveling off of new diagnoses among Black gay and bisexual men.A number of challenges contribute to the epidemic among Blacks, including poverty, lack of access to health care, higher rates of some sexually transmitted infections, smaller sexual networks, lack of awareness of HIV status, and stigma.Among Black Americans, Black women, youth, and gay and bisexual men have been especially hard hit.population, Blacks account for a much larger share of HIV diagnoses (43%), people estimated to be living with HIV disease (42%), and deaths among people with HIV (44%) than any other racial/ethnic group in the U.S. Although they represent only 12% of the U.S.Black Americans have been disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS since the epidemic’s beginning, and that disparity has deepened over time.