Black Americans Aren’t Getting a Critical HIV Medicine – Why?

There’s a stigma around HIV, whether we like it or not.  From concerns about sexual promiscuity to beliefs that only drug addicts are HIV-positive, the misinformation around this disease continues to swirl. And it’s making things worse. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), only a third of Americans are getting much-needed treatment for the infection.  Called pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), this medication can actually help prevent HIV infection following a sexual encounter or drug use. In fact, it’s 99 percent effective. But how many brothas and sistas even know this exists?  In the Black community, the use of PrEP is, frankly, dreadful. Of the many Black folks who could benefit from the drug, only eight percent were prescribed it in 2019; compare this to white people, of which 94 percent who need the medicine are using it.  What’s causing this massive disparity?  RELATED: Do You Know Your HIV/AIDS Status? Why Black Americans Are Missing Out Let’s face it: people don’t wanna talk about HIV and AIDS. To many people, these conditions sound like a death sentence. Although they are certainly not, lack of education and awareness continues to perpetuate these beliefs.  Oftentimes, you think you’ve got it...