HIV/AIDS

CDC surveillance information has indicated that HIV/AIDS is a increasingly growing problem for the American Indian and Alaska Natives population. In 2004,  in the 33 states with a long-term, confidential name-based HIV reporting, women accounted for 29% of the HIV/AIDS diagnoses reported for that year. An estimated 1,506 AI/AN were living with AIDS.  The approximate rate of AIDS diagnosis for AI/AN adults and teens was 9.9 per 100,000 persons, the 3rd highest rate after those for African American and Hispanic adults and teens. The estimated AIDS diagnosis for their white counterparts was 7.1 per 100,000.

The National Indian Women's Health Resource Center administers the HIV/AIDS Health Promotion and Education Cooperation Agreement Project which is funded by the Office of Minority Health.  The goal of this project is to raise awareness and educate American Indian families of the risk factors associated and contributing to the contraction of  the  HIV/AIDS disease by providing culturally appropriate health education materials and trainings on how to reduce an individual and communities risk of becoming infected.

A "Train the Trainer" curriculum, which is culturally appropriate; and sensitive training materials are  being developed through this project for training HIV/AIDS prevention specialists in tribal communities throughout the United States,  particularly  where there is a high incidence of HIV/AIDS among American Indian and Alaska Natives.

NIWHRC has also assisted with the formation of three HIV/AIDS coalitions: HEART in northeast Oklahoma, PANI HOPE in central Oklahoma, and ONNUAA in southwest Oklahoma. 

 HIV is a non-discriminate disease.  It knows no age, sex, race, or nationality.  American Indians  must be educated and aware of this deadly disease.

The rate of AIDS diagnoses for AI/AN has been higher than that of whites since 1995. The rate of HIV/AIDS diagnoses among AI/AN increased from 9.5 per 100,000 in 2001 to 11.1 per 100,000 in 2004.  In the 33 states with long-term, confidential name-based HIV reporting, women accounted for 29% of the HIV/AIDS diagnoses among AI/AN during 2001-2004.HIV spreads to 10 people every minute, 5 million every year. An estimated 3,026 AI/AN have received a diagnosis of AIDS. An estimated 1,498 AI/AN  were living with AIDS. At the end of 2003, an estimated 1,039,000 to 1,185,000 persons in the United States were living with HIV/AIDS, with 24-27% undiagnosed and unaware of their HIV infection. The cumulative estimated number of diagnoses of AIDS through 2004 in the United States is 944,305. Adult and adolescent AIDS cases total 934,862 with 756,399 cases in males and 178,463 cases in females. Through the same time period, 9,443 AIDS cases were estimated in children under age 13.

228 S. Muskogee Avenue   Tahlequah, OK 74464
Telephone: 918-456-6094   Fax: 918-456-8128   Email: peiron@niwhrc.org

HIV 101