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White House summit on AIDS' impact on black men

Andrew Aylward, Chronicle Washington Bureau

Thursday, June 3, 2010

(06-03) 04:00 PDT Washington - -- The White House held its first summit on the impact of the AIDS virus on African American men Wednesday, pointing to evidence that the epidemic may be on the rise among black men.
The summit convened policymakers and community and religious leaders in anticipation of the White House's National HIV/AIDS Strategy, which is expected in the coming weeks and will lay out a plan to reduce the incidence of the disease and provide better care.
African Americans make up 10 percent of the population but about half of the HIV/AIDS cases nationwide. One of every 16 black men will face a diagnosis in his lifetime, and black people are seven times more likely to contract the virus than other races.
A key goal of the campaign will be to erase the stigma of HIV/AIDS among blacks, community leaders said.
"People react with demonization to black men with AIDS," said Shannon Hader, director of the D.C. Department of Health's HIV/AIDS Administration. "This ... prevents men from getting involved in the response."
Raising public awareness of the dangers of HIV transmission is central to efforts to battle the epidemic.
Phill Wilson, CEO of the Greater Than AIDS campaign, said media can raise awareness. In one San Francisco neighborhood, placement of one billboard advertising free HIV testing increased the number of people getting checked by 500 percent.

This article appeared on page A - 9 of the San Francisco Chronicle