"I Know" HIV Campaign

Well-known African-American actor Jamie Foxx and rapper/singer Chris ("Ludacris") Bridges have lent their voices and images to the campaign's website, Facebook page, and Twitter feed - all of which have been set up to help share information (e.g., about where to get tested), foster conversation, and shift behaviour. The participating celebrities, along with partnering African-American organisations and community leaders, have pledged to use their own (personal) Facebook pages and Twitter feeds to increase participation and expand the conversation's reach. "We can break the silence," says Foxx in an "i know" public service announcement (PSA). "Talk about using condoms. Talk about getting tested." People may also sign up to receive regular text messaging from the campaign.

HIV/AIDS.

According to the most recent census data, nearly half of all new HIV infections contracted each year in the US occur among African-Americans, with more than one-third of those happening in teenagers as young as 13 to adults as old as 29. Not only do more African-American youth contract HIV than their white or Hispanic peers, they tend to be the most unaware of their HIV status. The CDC says the rate of undiagnosed HIV infection among blacks is 9 times higher than among whites of the same age. As a result, many black young adults learn they're HIV-positive well after they've been infected, when it may be too late to treated effectively. That delayed diagnosis has serious consequences: 20% of HIV-positive black youth see their disease progress to AIDS within a year of their diagnosis, compared with 14% of their white peers.

However, although young African-American men have the highest rate of HIV infection compared to any other race or ethnicity, and young African-American women have higher infection rates than young women of other races, concerns about HIV within the African-American community have been declining. A Kaiser Family Foundation study from last year found that from 1997 to 2009, the number of young African-Americans who said they were "very concerned" about contracting HIV decreased 14%. Yet, according to the CDC, 63% of the youth who died from AIDS in 2006 were African-American.

Despite those statistics, CDC claims, HIV remains an undertalked-about subject within the African-American community, in part because of a fear of disclosing promiscuous behaviour or sexual orientation.

"At CDC, we have the science, but it is their voices that will make the difference," Dr. Kevin Fenton said. "By supporting frank conversations through social media, 'i know' creates an opportunity for young people to talk directly with each other about the issues that fuel this still-deadly disease. Their ideas and involvement will be a critical part of the solution."