ABSTRACT
Second, an equally important area of emphasis is that there are other medical, public health, social, and economic dimensions of the epidemic that often escape discussion. The concurrent rise in the prevalence of mycobacteria tuberculosis among black Americans (Centers for Disease Control 1987a; Centers for Disease Control 1987b) and the increased demand on already limited health care resources in many black communities are byproducts of the HIV epidemic. AIDS commonly claims the lives of individuals at ages most often associated with the highest levels of productivity to a society. For black Americans, who often reside in economically disenfranchised areas, the morbidity and mortality of HIV infection means further erosion in the economic base of these communities.
