Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health

, Volume 15, Issue 4, pp 718–724 | Cite as

HIV/AIDS Among African-Born Residents in the United States

  • Demetri A. Blanas
  • Kim Nichols
  • Mulusew Bekele
  • Amanda Lugg
  • Roxanne P. Kerani
  • Carol R. Horowitz
Original Paper
First Online:

Abstract

The number of African-born residents living in the United States (US) increased by more than 750 % between 1980 and 2009. HIV diagnosis rates in this population are six times higher than estimated incidence in the general US population. African-immigrants with HIV are also diagnosed at later stages of infection than US-born residents, but they paradoxically have lower mortality after diagnosis. There are higher rates of HIV among women, higher rates of heterosexual transmission, and lower rates of injection-drug-use-associated transmission among African-born residents in the US relative to the general US population. Despite this distinct epidemiologic profile, surveillance reports often group African-born residents with US-born Blacks. The high rates of HIV among African-born residents in the US combined with increasing immigration and incomplete surveillance data highlight the need for more accurate epidemiologic data along with appropriate HIV service programs.

Keywords

HIV AIDS African Immigrants 
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Notes

Acknowledgments

Ellen Wiewel MHS and Andrew Jensen reviewed and commented on the manuscript. Alice Clomegah, Goytia Crispin, Lea Rivera-Todaro provided important insights. This work was supported in part by a grant from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation to the Mount Sinai School of Medicine to fund Clinical Research Fellow Demetri Blanas, MPH. This work was supported by grant UL1TR000067 from the National Center for Research Resources, National Institutes of Health to fund Carol R Horowitz, MD-MPH.

Conflict of interest

There is no conflict of interest with any of the authors: There are no financial, commercial, or other forms of connection between the authors and any commercial or industrial interest. No party stands to gain financially from the publication of this work.

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Copyright information

© Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2012

Authors and Affiliations

  • Demetri A. Blanas
    • 1
    • 2
  • Kim Nichols
    • 2
  • Mulusew Bekele
    • 2
  • Amanda Lugg
    • 2
  • Roxanne P. Kerani
    • 3
  • Carol R. Horowitz
    • 1
  1. 1.Department of Health Evidence and PolicyMount Sinai School of MedicineNew York CityUSA
  2. 2.African Services CommitteeNew York CityUSA
  3. 3.Public Health Seattle and King CountySeattleUSA

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