The HIV Conspiracy

The HIV Conspiracy

HIV has been in the US since 1981, it is the virus that causes AIDS. There is a conspiracy belief that HIV was a manmade virus purposely put into African American communities by the government. HIV is a very deadly virus and is currently an epidemic; numerous methods have been implemented to combat the deadly virus. However, in African American communities, these methods seem to be scarce and unproductive. White americans make up the majority of the US, however, HIV rates are still highest amongst blacks. In African American communities, there is a lack of HIV prevention methods due in large part to unfair socioeconomic factors, conspiracy theories, lack of healthcare priority, and lack of government intervention.

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It also stems from immoral studies such as The Tuskegee Syphilis study. In 2006, a study was conducted which included a national survey, 500 african americans were asked about conspiracy beliefs. A staggering 53% held conspiracy beliefs about HIV/AIDS. Conspiracy beliefs about HIV have been shown to have an affect on sexual behavior as well. African American men who believed in the HIV conspiracy are less likely to use condoms. Since African American men are more likely to have HIV conspiracy beliefs, it makes sense that they are the group with the most HIV diagnosis across all races and

African Americans are more likely to be incarcerated than any other race, even if the same crime is committed. This high rate of incarceration changes the sexual behaviors and makes African Americans engage in relations that increase the risk for HIV. Constantly being imprisoned traps blacks in communities with high prevalence of HIV, by reducing employment and increasing poverty. It also facilitates concurrent relationships among both men and women, and makes males more susceptible to sexual behaviors in prison, where the HIV risk is greatest, due to the fact the MSM blacks are the group with the most HIV diagnosis in history. The incarceration is one of many driving principles behind the HIV/AIDS conspiracy, which the government has made no actions to disprove. Instead, the conspiracy beliefs continue to grow, affecting over half of the black populations. These conspiracy beliefs affect the sexual behaviors of blacks, making them more likely to engage in higher risk sexual behavior and not use condoms. Further facilitating the spread of HIV. Another driving factor of these conspiracy beliefs is the justified mistrust of the health care system. African Americans are the least healthy race in the USA, with higher death rates than whites from diseases such as cancer and diabetes. Health care providers show bias and prejudice against blacks, and the majority of health care providers are white.