5 Reasons Why Black People Are More Affected by HIV

The HIV epidemic has been plaguing our country for almost 35 years, and it has always disproportionately impacted marginalized communities. Today, African-Americans account for only 13 percent of the population but 43 percent of new HIV infections, the majority of those among gay and bisexual men and transgender women. The question is why?

Why do black people carry the burden of this disease, especially when it didn't start out that way? It's not that African-Americans engage in riskier behavior; in fact, studies have shown they use condoms more and drugs less than their white counterparts.

There's actually a confluence of factors that make HIV significantly more difficult to face and overcome in black communities. Here are just five of them.