Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1998. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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United Press International - Thursday, November 05, 1998
In a unanimous vote today, the county Board of Supervisors approved the declaration, which was crafted by a multi-agency coalition of public and private health and welfare agencies and community leaders.
The declaration makes the county eligible for part of the $156 million in federal funds set aside last week by President Clinton for HIV/AIDS prevention programs in minority communities, where the disease has become an epidemic.
Alameda County statistics show that blacks make up nearly 18 percent of its population, and 41 percent of its AIDS cases last year.
A report by the AIDS Project East Bay task force concludes that black women account for 62 percent of AIDS cases among women, black children account for 69 percent of pediatric cases and black teens make up 40 percent of cases diagnosed in young people.
Congresswoman Barbara Lee, who served on the task force, says the spread of AIDS in Alameda County can be traced to intravenous drug use and unsafe sexual practices. She told supervisors that this population has little access to the services and powerful drug cocktails used to treat the disease.
Lee says the task force's plans for widespread testing, a media- driven awareness campaign and a continuum of care for black AIDS sufferers must now must be approved by federal health officials before the funding is released.
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