The numbers don’t lie — and so they’re not wanting too good. HIV is as soon as once more on the rise amongst Black girls, and the silence surrounding it’s simply as harmful because the illness itself. Let’s check out why this epidemic continues to focus on Black girls, and the offender behind these staggering numbers.
Black girls make up simply 13% of the U.S. feminine inhabitants, but they account for over 50% of recent HIV diagnoses amongst girls, based on the Kaiser Household Basis (KFF). Which means greater than half of all girls newly identified with HIV within the U.S. are Black — a staggering statistic that displays deep-rooted inequalities.
With a harmful cocktail of things together with a mixture of social, financial, and healthcare-related points, Black girls proceed to face the brunt of HIV diagnoses up till at present. Mixed with larger charges of poverty, lack of entry to high quality healthcare, and systemic obstacles, it’s no marvel the virus continues to thrive in our communities because the system continues to depart us unsupported.
And that’s not all. Poor pockets result in poor well being, and with Black inequality and socio-economic obstacles at each flip, the situations are ripe for well being disparities to flourish, per KFF. From housing instability to underfunded clinics, the challenges stack up — making prevention, therapy, and training about HIV even more durable to entry for individuals who want it most.
One other key issue is Intimate accomplice violence (IPV) — abuse or aggression in an intimate relationship — which can result in riskier sexual behaviors. The strategy to attacking the HIV difficulty head on entails addressing the pandemic, utilizing related intervention methods, elevated entry to testing and PrEP, and empowering girls.
Effectively, it’s clear songstress and actuality TV star Tamar Braxton is unafraid to step up, unapologetically shining a light-weight on HIV prevention via her partnership with Gilead — the pharmaceutical firm behind PrEP. With a aim to empower Black girls to have the robust conversations, she’s utilizing her voice and platform to encourage others to be simply as daring.
“We want extra open conversations about HIV prevention and fewer stigma. I’ve at all times been an advocate for Black girls, and now greater than ever, it’s time we empower one another to ask questions, defend our our bodies, and personal our pleasure,” Braxton, 48, wrote in an Instagram publish.
The message is obvious: silence is now not an choice. With HIV nonetheless disproportionately affecting Black girls, prevention must be greater than a non-public thought — it must be a public motion. Depart your stigma on the door, arm your self with the information, and step into the dialog.
Straight From 
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