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[Announcer] This podcast is presented by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC - safer, healthier people.

Hello. I’m Dr. Kevin Fenton, Director of CDC’s National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention. Recently, our Center released a report discussing health disparities. Health disparities are differences in disease burdens that occur by gender, race or ethnicity, education or income, or disability, or by where people live, for example, in the city or rural areas. Factors linked to health disparities include poverty, unequal access to health care, lower levels of formal education, and stigma, racism and other forms of discrimination.

Across the United States, despite prevention efforts, some groups of people are affected disproportionately by HIV/AIDS, viral hepatitis, STDs, and TB more than others. Sexually transmitted diseases affect all communities, but especially racial and ethnic minorities. Blacks in the United Sates have the highest rate of syphilis infections, according to our report, which analyzed data from 2000 to 2004. The second highest groups for syphilis infection were Hispanics and American Indian/Alaskan Natives. Blacks also had some of the highest gonorrhea rates in the United States. For tuberculosis, Asians had the highest rates, which were at 17 times the rate of whites in the U.S. In addition, 54% of all tuberculosis cases in 2004 occurred among foreign-born persons. The highest percentage among US-born racial and ethnic groups was for African-Americans at 45%.

Our report underscores the serious problem of health disparities that we find in other data that we analyze. For example, in 2005, Blacks accounted for about 13% of the U.S. population. However, they accounted for nearly half, or roughly 49%, of the people who get HIV and AIDS. So while being Black is not necessarily a risk factor for HIV, the realities of some African-Americans’ lives may mean greater vulnerability to HIV: • African Americans have less access to health care in general, and HIV testing and treatments, in particular. • Poverty, drug use, and high rates of STDs place some African Americans at increased risk of HIV. For some, economic hardships may lead to risky behaviors, such as trading sex for money, food, shelter, or drugs.

These realities all emphasize the importance of getting out the message that prompt and early diagnosis of HIV is a critical step in dealing with the HIV/AIDs crisis within the Black community.

CDC recommends that all Americans, including African Americans, between the ages of 13 and 64 years be tested for HIV during their regular health care visits. Once diagnosed, those living with HIV can fully benefit from available life-saving treatments. They can also take steps to protect their partners and thus their community.

Now in an effort to reduce health disparities, CDC is working closely with community and government partners on disease-specific initiatives – for example, intervention research and education and training activities in communities across the United States. We are also working to increase the diversity of the public health workforce and to improve prevention research on health disparities.

In addition to our current efforts, priorities for future action include: enhancing and improving partnerships, increasing screening and testing for diseases in populations with known health disparities, adapting an integrated service model to improve health care delivery, improving monitoring through the enhancement of our current data systems, and adapting new diagnostic, treatment, and prevention technologies.

One of our Center’s top priorities is reducing health disparities. It is true that no single public health program can eliminate these inequities. However, we are confident that our collaboration with community leaders, healthcare providers, legislators, other federal partners, and other stakeholders can help reduce health disparities in HIV/AIDS, viral hepatitis, STD, and TB infection. To meet this goal, we must continually rededicate ourselves to reducing health disparities. Together, we can make a significant difference and progress in reducing these disparities and preventing disease.

Once again, I’m Dr. Kevin Fenton. We thank you for your concern about health disparities and we hope that you will join us in this work.

[Announcer] To access the most accurate and relevant health information that affects you, your family and your community, please visit www.cdc.gov.