<p><strong><font face=”verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif” size=”2″>AIDS in America today is a black disease (but the majority population has to take responsibility for it)</font></strong></p><p _extended=”true”><font face=”verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif” size=”2″>According to this report, if black Americans made up their own country, it would rank above Ethiopia (420,000 to 1,300,000) and below Ivory Coast (750,000) in HIV population. Both Ethiopia and the Ivory Coast are among the 15 nations receiving funds from the President’s Emergency Plan For Aids Relief. The United States has given about $15 billion to PEPFAR nations in the past five years. </font></p><p _extended=”true”><font face=”verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif” size=”2″>The Black AIDS Institute says it’s not criticizing the federal government for helping poorer countries cope with the AIDS epidemic. Rather, it’s saying the "AIDS epidemic [in the U.S. is not getting the kind attention that it merits."</font></p><p _extended=”true”><font face=”verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif” size=”2″>"We understand the needs of black folk in Johannesburg (South Africa)," Wilson says. "Why can’t we understand the needs of them in Jackson, Mississippi? We understand the needs in Nigeria or Botswana, why not understand the needs of Los Angeles or Oakland?" </font></p><p _extended=”true”><font face=”verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif” size=”2″>Wilson says more needs to be done to prevent the spread of HIV in this country. The report states that the U.S. government "increased spending on HIV prevention, treatment and support programs for low-income countries dramatically, at the same time that domestic remained all but flat." </font></p><p _extended=”true”><a href=”http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/conditions/07/29/black.aids.report/index.html?eref=rss_topstories" target=”_blank”><font face=”verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif” size=”2″>Continue…</font></a></p>