As of 2016, it is estimated that there are 1.5 million adults and children living with HIV/AIDS in North America, excluding Central America and the Caribbean.[1] 70,000 adults and children are newly infected every year, and the overall adult prevalence[clarification needed] is 0.5%.[1] 26,000 people in North America (again, excluding Central America and the Caribbean) die from AIDS every year.[1]
In 2012, the adult prevalence rate was estimated to be 0.60%.[2] African-Americans are at the highest risk of contracting HIV in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention (CDC), African-American accounted for 44% of all new HIV infections in the United States between 2010 and 2016, although African-Americans make up roughly 12% of the American population.[3] The extent of the HIV/AIDS crisis within the African-American community is an indication that the solution will also need to be multi-faceted ranging from increasing access to health care to reducing the stigma that HIV and homosexuality has within the African-American community.
