The South's Silent Epidemic

African-Americans Make Up Well Over Half Of HIV/AIDS Cases In Much Of The Rural South

(CBS)  If you travel beyond Charlotte's picturesque landscape to its African-American neighborhoods, you'll find a silent epidemic - HIV and AIDS spreading at alarming rates.

At the Metrolina AIDS Project, where seven out of 10 clients are black, it's all hands on deck to prevent the crisis from getting worse, reports CBS News correspondent Randall Pinkston.

African-Americans make up 22 percent of North Carolina's population but are 68 percent of reported AIDS cases. Those numbers are virtually reversed for whites, who make up 74 percent of the state population, but account for only 22 percent of reported AIDS cases.

"In the African-American community, there's still not the awareness, the personal accountability," said Ann White, executive director of the Metrolina AIDS Project.

North Carolina is not unique. In Virginia, blacks make up 58 percent of AIDS cases and across the deep South, from South Carolina to Louisiana, the rate is 68 percent and higher. The statistics beg the question - why the South?

"Well, I really think the numbers in the South were always there but we didn't have the resources available before to actually perform the test," said White.

For black women ages 25 to 44, HIV/AIDS is now the leading cause of death. They are quickly becoming the face of the disease.

"I was dumbfounded and really the only one I could look at was my husband," said Lorraine Mitchell, an AIDS patient who says her husband knew he had AIDS even before they were married.

"What did you think?" asked Pinkston.

"Murder," said Mitchell.

Nearly 70 percent of black women are infected through heterosexual contact with men they believe are heterosexual. Often that is not the case.

White says that black men who show up having contracted HIV/AIDS from other men often don't consider themselves gay .

"Gay is not the word used," said White.

DeMarsh Tarver contracted the virus from his gay partner and agrees with White's assessment.

"I've been approached by married men, members of the church," he said. "They don't think about the consequences."

AIDS activists here believe that the region is being short-changed when it comes to funding for treatment and prevention.

"If we could get more funding into the South, it would alleviate the problem," said Katherine Heirs of the Southern AIDS Coalition.

Congress recently increased funding for the president's global AIDS initiative by 300 percent, but domestic spending was increased just 5 percent. The largest block of AIDS funding has remained virtually flat and most of it goes to big cities, not rural areas.

"What is happening in New York City is different than what is happening in North Carolina and Mississippi, and yet we are responsible for making sure regardless of where you live, you do have access to services," said Dr. Deborah Parham Hopson, a Ryan White Act administrator.

But the issue goes beyond a debate over money to what's known as "the stigma."

"I felt like I had been condemned because of the lifestyle I live," said Tarver.

"If this didn't happen to me, I can't guarantee you how I would have reacted if the shoe was on the other foot," said Mitchell.

In the South, that stigma looms so large that clinics don't even have signs outside their buildings, so their clients won't be ashamed to enter.

One traditional source of the stigma has been the church. But attitudes from the pulpit to the pews are slowly changing. That will be part two of our continuing report.

[yougogirl60]

This is ridiculous. The media are feeding racial stereotypes. Just because CBS and the rest of the MSM and the government says something is true doesn''t mean it is true. Remember they sold us "weapons of mass destruction" and everyone bought into it. They(MSM and goverment) have an agenda. There are lies, *** lies, and statistics

[toldyouso12]

Kids in the south begin having sexxx at a very young age and the consequences are not explained to them--they operate on an animal mentality---fvck or be fvcked.....and many kids claim their first sexual experiences with another person occurred before they were 13.

AIDS is a disease for those who engage in mindless, irresponsible sexxxx--because kids think it can''t happen to them and as they get older, that belief becomes entrenched.

[tvnupe]

the article says Tarver contracted the VIRUS.. HIV is the VIRUS.

[pcla-2009]

There was a major error in the reporting that was really sloppy and misinformed, well, just bad journalism: It said that Tarver contracted AIDS. Also it makes references to people having AIDS. ONE DOES NOT CONTRACT AIDS. ONE CONTRACTS HIV. AIDS IS THE SYNDROME CAUSED BY HIV, WHEN UNTREATED BY MEDICATION. THIS IS A REALLY SLOPPY ERROR AND ONLY INCREASES THE STIGMA AND MISINFORMATION THE STORY JUSTIFIABLY WAS REPORTING ON.

[cbsfan73]

carats100 wrote:
"Stigma? Fault of the church?

Read the article again. Seems the church members are not above propositions.

[cbsfan73]

If people would have the audacity to speak the truth with sugar coating it instead of playing appeasement games, maybe the message would get across.

[shippg]

Stigma? Fault of the church? Do you not think there SHOULD be a stigma? What we are saying here is that for some reason these guys just keep being sexually irresponsible. There used to be a stigma, but now they are ignoring it.

[cbsfan73]

HollyToledo wanted to censor:
"I find it hard to believe a supposedly legitimate news outlet like CBS would allow comments like the following to stand unedited. This is racism at it''''s ugliest, and has no place in the political dialog."

Maybe CBS believes in free speech?

P.S. I guess you never read my comments...

[snapper4298]

One traditional source of the stigma has been the church." So why are Obama and McCain both crawling up rear end of evangelism?

America needs a president who can deal with real issues without religious fundamentalists sticking their noses in.

These figures are a disgrace.

[shippg]

I find it hard to believe a supposedly legitimate news outlet like CBS would allow comments like the following to stand unedited. This is racism at it''''s ugliest, and has no place in the political dialog.

"A large percentage of US blacks have a "slave mentality" they inherited from their ancestors. That mentality does not require or allow them to exercise personal responsibility." Posted by tuckerndfw"

Posted by HollyToledo at 07:08 PM : Aug 17, 2008

---
Holly my dear, have you actually heard the conversations coming out of the inner cities (and maybe the south)? The men ordering their women around? Having 7 kids with 7 moms? The outrageous rap and hip hop? In what culture do you think this was learned?

What tuckerndfw posted at 7:15 was absolute truth about the slave/victim culture. Try and refute it with logic instead of giving it a racist label. Calling people names just puts an end to reasonable discussion. It does not change facts.

[kamsack50]

HollyToledo Why is it wrong to imply many blacks have inherited a "slave mentality"? Can''t we say Americans have inherited "#1 in the world" mentality? I think you are simply, in the politically correct vein, chastising the writer for using the word "slavery".

[shippg]

tuckerndfw, that lack of "slave mentality" is what led many Blacks to say that Obama was NOT Black (at the very beginning of his campaign). He does not think like a victim, so they took offense at him. I think that is why some still say he is elitist.

[my2centss]

With the world''s overpopulation problem, isn''t this a good thing? Less people less resources being used.

[kamsack50]

Voltaire777 Your argument is very discriminatory towards blacks, as if they more than others need to be cuddled like helpless children. You don''t realize what you are implying by this liberal racist idea. You should listen to Bill Cosby a little.

[formrusmcsgt]

For black women ages 25 to 44, HIV/AIDS is now the leading cause of death.
---
Astounding.

[sparkyforfun]

Posted by Voltaire777 at 04:19 PM : Aug 17, 2008

Stuff does happen but if a person who knows the risk and still continues to engage in curtain behavior I have no pity for! Aids has been around for years and how to stop the spread has been publicized.

[haoli25]

AIDS is discriminating! Quick, call Rev. Al & Jesse!

[kesac4650]

Funding is not the issue. Education is not the issue. The AIDS epidemic has been proclaimed longly and loudly for 20+ years now.
The greatest killer of black people is black men. Black people are victims of murder of every kind, all out of proportion to their numbers, and in nearly every case they are the victim of a black man.
This is just one more illustration of that fact that every black, man woman and child in America is aware of.
I don''t know the cure for this, but I do know who the perpetrators are. We complain about the numbers of them in prison, but let them out, and their victims will be more innocent people of color.

[sistatee-2009]

All the bugs in the world ain''t kilt as many brothers as the 9!

[jediservant]

You reep what you sow, it does not matter what color you are!