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A report from the Indian Health
Service, the Navajo Nation Health Education Program, and the Navajo AIDS
Network indicate that in the past 25 years HIV cases have increased in the
Navajo Nation.
In the mid-1990s, the number of new
cases averaged 10 per year, compared to about 40 per year in the last three
years. There were 35 new cases in 2010 and 40 in 2011.
HIV/AIDS rates among the Navajo
population increased first in homosexual males, then in heterosexual males and
females, similar to the pattern of the United States, except ten years later.
Other Native peoples also are reporting high rates of HIV/AIDS.
The Indian Health Service website
shows HIV and AIDS rates for Native Americans and Alaska Natives rank third in
the United States, after those of African Americans and Hispanics. According to
the Office of Minority Health, Native Americans/Alaska Natives have a 30
percent higher rate of infection than Caucasians, and men have a 50 percent
higher rate.
Hospitals on the Navajo Nation,
including the Gallup Indian Medical Center, are focusing on HIV screening. The
Navajo Nation Council passed the Navajo Nation HIV/AIDS Act in 2011 in support
of research, prevention, and treatment of HIV/AIDS on the reservation. Part of
the difficulty of stemming the spread of HIV/AIDS among Native Americans
includes the lack of education and discussion about sex, as well as the
alcoholism and illegal drug use.
Information on HIV/AIDS in the
Navajo Nation is available from the Navajo Nation Health Education Program,
Window Rock, Arizona, at (928) 871-6258.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
