Drug War Facts

Race, HIV/AIDS, and the Drug War

  1. According to the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC), in 2005, of the 433,760 persons in the US living with AIDS, an estimated 149,658 were Non-Hispanic Whites; 185,988 were Non-Hispanic Blacks; and 78,054 were Hispanic.

    Source: Centers for Disease Control, HIV/AIDS Surveillance Report 2005 (revised June 2007), Vol. 17, p. 21, Table 10.

  2. "From 2001 through 2005, the estimated number of AIDS cases increased among all racial and ethnic groups (Table 3). In 2005, rates of AIDS cases were 54.1 per 100,000 in the black population, 18.0 per 100,000 in the Hispanic population, 7.4 per 100,000 in the American Indian/Alaska Native population, 5.9 per 100,000 in the white population, and 3.6 per 100,000 in the Asian/Pacific Islander population (Table 5a)."

    Source: Centers for Disease Control, HIV/AIDS Surveillance Report 2005 (revised June 2007), Vol. 17, p. 6.

  3. According to the US Centers for Disease Control, in 2005, of the 123,803 Non-Hispanic Black Male adults or adolescents living with AIDS, 44% of cases were transmitted through male-to-male sexual contact, 28% of cases were transmitted by injection drug use, 8% were transmitted by male-to-male sexual contact and injection drug use, and 19% were transmitted by high-risk sexual contact.
    Of the 56,689 Non-Hispanic Black Female adults or adolescents living with AIDS in 2005, 32% of cases were transmitted by injection drug use and 66% were transmitted by high-risk heterosexual contact.
    Of the 130,464 Non-Hispanic White Male adults or adolescents living with AIDS in 2005, 75% of cases were transmitted through male-to-male sexual contact, 10% of cases were transmitted by injection drug use, 9% were transmitted by male-to-male sexual contact and injection drug use, and 4% were transmitted by high-risk sexual contact.
    Of the 18,641 Non-Hispanic White Female adults or adolescents living with AIDS in 2005, 39% of cases were transmitted by injection drug use and 58% were transmitted by high-risk sexual contact.
    Of the 61,416 Hispanic Males adults or adolescents living with AIDS in 2005, 56% of cases were transmitted through male-to-male sexual contact, 25% of cases were transmitted by injection drug use, 7% were transmitted by male-to-male sexual contact and injection drug use, and 12% were transmitted by high-risk heterosexual contact.
    Of the 15,953 Hispanic Female adults or adolescents living with AIDS in 2005, 32% of cases were transmitted by injection drug use and 66% were transmitted by high-risk heterosexual contact.

    Source: Centers for Disease Control, HIV/AIDS Surveillance Report 2005 (revised June 2007), Vol. 17, p. 22, Table 11.

  4. The Centers for Disease Control reported that in 2003, HIV disease was the 22nd leading cause of death in the US for whites, the 9th leading cause of death for blacks, and the 13th leading cause of death for Hispanics.

    Source: Heron, Melonie P., PhD, Smith, Betty L., BsED, Division of Vital Statistics, "Deaths: Leading Causes for 2003," National Vital Statistics Reports, Vol. 55, No. 10 (Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics, CDC, March 15, 2007), p. 10, Table E, and p. 12, Table F.

  5. According to the US Centers for Disease Control, among non-Hispanic Blacks in the US in 2003 HIV/AIDS was the eighth leading cause of death for those 5-9 years of age, the eighth leading cause of death in the US for those aged 10-14, the ninth among those aged 15-19, the sixth leading cause for those aged 20-24, the fourth leading cause of death for those aged 25-34, the third leading cause of death for those aged 35-44, the third leading cause of death for those aged 45-54, and the ninth leading cause of death for those aged 55-64.

    Source: Heron, Melonie P., PhD, and Betty L. Smith, BSEd, Centers for Disease Control, Division of Vital Statistics, "Deaths: Leading Causes for 2003," National Vital Statistics Reports (Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics, March 15, 2007), Vol. 55, No. 10, pp. 68-69, Table 2.

  6. "More than 165,000 African Americans were living with injection-related AIDS or had already died from it by the end of 2001. Many thousands more were infected with the HIV virus.
    "The HIV/AIDS epidemic has fallen much more harshly upon African Americans than on whites who inject drugs. Among those who inject drugs, African Americans are five times as likely as whites to get AIDS.
    "In 2000, with all the advances in AIDS treatment, AIDS was still among the top three leading causes of death for African Americans aged 25-54 years. More than half of those deaths were caused by contaminated needles."

    Source: Dawn Day, Ph.D., Health Emergency 2003: The Spread of Drug-Related AIDS and Hepatitis C Among African Americans and Latinos (The Dogwood Center: Princeton, NJ, 2002), p. i.

  7. According to the US Centers for Disease Control, among Hispanics in the US in 2003 HIV/AIDS was the eighth leading cause of death for those aged 20-24, the sixth leading cause of death among those aged 25-34, the fourth leading cause for those aged 35-44, the fifth leading cause of death for those aged 45-54, and the tenth leading cause of death for those aged 55-64.

    Source: Heron, Melonie P., PhD, and Betty L. Smith, BSEd, Centers for Disease Control, Division of Vital Statistics, "Deaths: Leading Causes for 2003," National Vital Statistics Reports (Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics, March 15, 2007), Vol. 55, No. 10, pp. 53-54, Table 2.

  8. "More than 76,000 Latinos living in the United States and Puerto Rico had injection-related AIDS or had already died from it by the end of 2001. Thousands more were infected with the HIV virus.
    "The HIV/AIDS epidemic has fallen more harshly upon Latinos than on whites who inject drugs. Among those who inject drugs, Latinos are at least one and a half times as likely as whites to get AIDS.
    "In 2000, with all the advances in AIDS treatment, AIDS was still among the top five leading causes of death for Latinos aged 25-54. More than half of those deaths were caused by contaminated needles."

    Source: Dawn Day, Ph.D., Health Emergency 2003: The Spread of Drug-Related AIDS and Hepatitis C Among African Americans and Latinos (The Dogwood Center: Princeton, NJ, 2002), p. i.

  9. According to the US Centers for Disease Control, among non-Hispanic Whites in the US in 2003 HIV/AIDS was the sixth leading cause of death among those aged 25-34, and the sixth leading cause of death for those aged 35-44.

    Source: Heron, Melonie P., PhD, and Betty L. Smith, BSEd, Centers for Disease Control, Division of Vital Statistics, "Deaths: Leading Causes for 2003," National Vital Statistics Reports (Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics, March 15, 2007), Vol. 55, No. 10, p. 61, Table 2.

Also check out these related Drug War Facts sections:
HIV/AIDS & Injection Drug Use
Syringe/Needle Exchange Programs
Supervised Consumption Facilities & Safe Injection Facilities

 

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