Aug. 14, 2006 – Delegate to Congress Donna M. Christensen, who is a member of the Black Leadership Delegation to the XVI International AIDS Conference in Toronto, Canada, has been speaking on the impact that the pandemic has had on black people worldwide including in the Virgin Islands
Christensen says that after 25 years, public policy initiatives are still needed to stem the devastation.
As a physician and chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus Health Braintrust, Christensen has played a leading role in the fight against the HIV/AIDS pandemic in the United States, the Caribbean and in the Virgin Islands.
There are an estimated 1.3 million people living with HIV/AIDS in the United States. Nearly half of that number are African American, who account for 40 percent of all AIDS deaths, despite representing only 13 percent of the U.S. population.
Despite its small size and population, the Virgin Islands has one of the 10 highest AIDS case rates in the United States.
Christensen returns to the territory Tuesday to participate in the Caribbean Fishery Management Council meetings being held on St. Croix.
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