African American children represent 58 percent of all pediatric AIDS cases. In 1999, AIDS accounted for an estimated 50 percent of deaths among African Americans and 18 percent among Hispanics. Injection drug use is a major factor in the spread of HIV in minority communities. Through June 2000, injection drug users accounted for 37 percent of all AIDS cases among both African Americans and Hispanics. The office also works to increase the effectiveness of outreach and education programs.
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Together, these programs represent the largest AIDS treatment and prevention initiative in the United States. With the epidemic moving swiftly into minority communities, inclusion of these patients is particularly urgent. In addition to conducting clinical studies, HVTN will initiate community outreach programs to educate people about HIV and vaccine research, and to encourage minority participation in clinical trials. HVTN and the HIV Prevention Trials Network opened in 2000 and have not yet accumulated demographic data. Eighty-six percent of the women in this study are from minority populations.