Black Women and PrEP
HIV/AIDS continues to be a significant burden to African American/Black women. Black Cis* and Trans women are much more likely to contract HIV than women of other races.
- Among women living with HIV/AIDS in Louisiana, 82% are African American/Black.
- In Louisiana, 83% of all Trans women living with HIV are African American/Black
- In 2019, 22.3% of all new HIV infections in Louisiana were among women. Of the female diagnoses in 2019, 77% were African American. The HIV diagnosis rate among African American women was 1.25 times higher than that of Hispanic/Latinas and almost five times greater than that of White women. African American women account for 23% of PLWH and 17% of all new HIV diagnoses in Louisiana. Nationwide and in Louisiana, the primary modes of HIV transmission for women are heterosexual contact (having sex with a man infected with HIV) and IDU, which involves sharing needles or syringes with someone who is infected with HIV. In 2019, 78.5% of new HIV infections in women were attributed to high-risk heterosexual contact and 20% to injection drug use.
African African/ Black women are apart of us.We all should come together as a community to ensure that African American/ Black women are aware of HIV risk reduction method including PrEP, an HIV prevention strategy for people who are not living with HIV.
*Denoting or relating to a person whose sense of personal identity and gender corresponds with their birth sex
The Louisiana Department of health Office of Public Health STD/HIV Program is supporting the Black Women and PrEP campaign in partnership with the Black AIDS Institute. This campaign is to ensure Black Women are aware of PrEP and the effectiveness of PrEP if taken as prescribed. Additionally, this campaign will be designed to begin honest conversations and dialogues about women’s wellness.
Black Women and PrEP
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