AIDS rates among U.S. blacks rival Africa

WASHINGTON, July 29 (UPI) -- The AIDS epidemic among African-Americans in some parts of the United States rivals that in some parts of Africa, researchers say.

The report, published by the Black AIDS Institute, an HIV/AIDS think tank focused exclusively on African-Americans, found that while blacks represent only about one in eight Americans, half of those living with HIV in the United States is black, CNN reported.

"AIDS in America today is a black disease," said Phill Wilson, founder and chief executive officer of the institute and himself HIV-positive.

He said 2006 data indicates about half of the just over 1 million Americans living with HIV or AIDS are black.

In the District of Columbia, more than 80 percent of HIV cases are among black people.

"Five percent of the entire (D.C.) population is infected. ... That's comparable to countries like Uganda or South Africa," Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told CNN.