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ST. PAUL, MN - American Indians and Alaska Natives are experiencing an increasing rate of HIV/AIDS that, if left unchecked, poses a serious health threat that could devastate Native American communities in the United States, a U.S. government official said today.

"The number of American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) persons living with AIDS continues to grow", said Assistant Secretary for Health and Surgeon General David Satcher. "Often, the total number of AIDS cases in the AI/AN communities appears small and insignificant but these cases continue to increase. Therefore, we must support prevention efforts."

Office of HIV/AIDS Policy (OHAP) Director Dr. Eric Goosby said, "when you combine the increasing case numbers with other health factors in Native communities, HIV/AIDS poses an explosive health threat."

Goosby, principal AIDS advisor to the Office of the Surgeon General and the White House's Acting-Deputy Director for the Office of National AIDS Policy, made his remarks today at a news conference during the 57th Annual Session of the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), the oldest and the largest organization of tribal governments in the United States.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data, as of December 1999, more than 2,000 American Indians /Alaska Natives from all states and territories were diagnosed with AIDS. Native Americans join African American, Latino and Asian American communities as being disproportionately affected by the disease.

Satcher said because, "there are shortcomings in HIV/AIDS surveillance systems, we cannot be certain of the full extent of the problem within American Indian and Alaska Native communities.'' Like other communities of color in the United States, according to Satcher, the number of American Indians and Alaska Natives living with AIDS, ``continues to rise."

"There are many people in Indian Country and within the federal and state government who believe that HIV/AIDS is not a pressing problem in the American Indian and Alaska Native populations", said Jack Jackson, Jr., NCAI's Governmental Affairs Director and a member of the Navajo Nation. "In fact, HIV infection and AIDS are serious threats to the health and well-being of tribal and urban Indian communities."

Goosby pointed to alcoholism, other substance abuse, and high rates of sexually transmitted diseases as important factors that have helped drive the nation's epidemic among other populations. "Therefore, we must step up efforts and work with tribal leadership to prevent an explosive rise in HIV infections in American Indian and Alaska Native communities."

Goosby highlighted two Federal programs -- The Leadership Campaign on AIDS (TLCA) and the Crisis Response Team initiative (CRT) -- that are geared to partnering with community leaders, increasing awareness and providing technical assistance for all communities of color.

"Stigma and discrimination surrounding HIV/AIDS are barriers that challenge our communities in their effective prevention and treatment efforts", Goosby said. "TLCA and CRT call upon tribal leaders to work with us to fight HIV/AIDS."

SOURCE: Virtual Office of the Surgeon General