Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1998. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Associated Press - Thursday November 5, 1998
The 5-0 vote appears to be a first, said Helene Gayle, director of the Centers for Disease Control National Center for HIV, STD and TB Prevention. However, she noted other communities have recognized the crisis.
"Clearly, the situation of HIV infection in African-American communities is grave and the disparity is frightening and so I think a cry for urgent action is critical," she said. "We also need to realize that this is not something that happened overnight and that it is not only an urgent problem, but it's one that systems need to be in place to make sure that we have a long-term sustained response."
The Alameda vote came partly at the urging of Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland, a member of the Black Congressional Caucus, which has asked that a national state of emergency be declared over the AIDS crisis among blacks.
That has not happened, but last week, Clinton declared HIV and AIDS in racial and ethnic minority communities to be a severe health crisis and announced $156 million has been set aside to fight the problem.
County supervisors hope the vote will improve their chances of applying for those funds.
According to the county, blacks accounted for 2,102, or 41 percent, of the 5,131 diagnosed, reported cases of AIDS as of the end of 1997. Blacks make up only 18 percent of the county population.
Dr. Arthur Chen, Alameda County's health officer, said the risk of AIDS for blacks is five times that of whites.
"The impact on the African-American community has been absolutely devastating," said Lee, who was at Thursday's meeting.
The number of new county AIDS cases among blacks has fallen by about 50 percent in recent years, from about 280 in 1993 to about 140 in 1997, but Chen said people should not consider the problem solved.
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