Posts
Dr. Ronald Valdiserri, Deputy
Assistant Secretary for Health, Infectious Diseases, and Director, Office of
HIV/AIDS and the Infectious Disease Policy, US Department of Health and Human
Services, reports on the statement by the Secretary of Health and Human
Services, Kathleen Sebelius, on the observance of National Native American
Heritage Month. Sebelius had reiterated the department’s commitment to ensuring
the health and well-being of all Americans and provided examples of the
department’s work to reduce health disparities among American Indians and
Alaska Natives (AI/AN).
The secretary’s statement presented
statistics on HIV and AIDS diagnoses among AI/AN people. Less than 1 percent of
the total cases in the country are among AI/AN, but based on population size,
the rates are higher than those of whites. The most recent Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC) report of HIV surveillance shows the estimated
rate of annual diagnoses of HIV infection from 2007–2010 was stable nationally,
but the rate among AI/AN increased. In 2010, the rate of HIV diagnoses among
AI/AN was 9.7 per 100,000 persons, which is higher than that of whites and
Asian and Pacific Islanders. Moreover, the rate of annual AIDS diagnoses
decreased nationally during 2007–2010, but the rate among AI/AN increased. In
2010, the rate of AIDS diagnoses was 7.2 per 100,000 persons among AI/AN
people.
The secretary recognized federal and
community partners working to address these HIV/AIDS trends in the AI/AN
community and listed some of the work that was being done. Dr. Valdiserri
joined with the secretary and partners in native communities to celebrate
National Native American Heritage Month and strengthen the commitment to ensure
AI/AN people a healthier future without HIV/AIDS and other preventable
diseases.
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!
