Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
Black Americans are diagnosed with HIV at a rate that's nearly four times higher than the rate for all other racial groups combined, according to new data released by the CDC.
By the numbers: Black adults made up a disproportionately high number (43%) of newly diagnosed cases of HIV and AIDS, at a rate of 39.2 per 100,000 people in 2018, the data shows.
- More than half (52%) of those Black adults diagnosed lived in segregated communities with higher levels of social vulnerability.
What they're saying: "While there is no simple solution to equity, our nation must finally tear down the wall of factors — systemic racism, homophobia, transphobia, HIV-related stigma, and other ingrained barriers — that still obstructs these tools against HIV and COVID-19 from equitably reaching the people who could benefit from them," Demetre Daskalakis, director of CDC's HIV Prevention Program said in a statement.