AIDS Fighting Rowboat Gets Ready For Next Mission
"We are still in an epidemic that doesn't appear to be ebbing at all" - Victor Mooney
Online, November 12, 2013 (Newswire.com) - The Spirit of Malabo, a 24' foot Brazilian built ocean rowboat, was hoisted from the Jamaica Bay at Gateway Marina early today and rolled on a cradle with Service Caster wheels. The vessel will be used to promote voluntary HIV testing during a transatlantic row from the Canary Islands to New York with a resupply in the British Virgin Islands later this year.
The vessel will be powered by Victor Mooney of Queens, who recently wrapped up his sea trials with the The Spirit of Malabo during a ninety mile row from the Hamptons to Brooklyn last week. For Mr. Mooney, this will mark his fourth bid to cross the Atlantic Ocean.
"I have been fortunate to be surrounded by a great group of people that believe in me", said Victor Mooney at the marina. "We are still in an epidemic that doesn't appear to be ebbing at all", Mr. Mooney added.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, African Americans have the most severe burden of HIV of all racial/ethnic groups in the United States. Compared with other races and ethnicities, African Americans account for a higher proportion of HIV infections at all stages of disease—from new infections to deaths.
African Americans accounted for an estimated 44% of all new HIV infections among adults and adolescents (aged 13 years or older) in 2010, despite representing only 12% to 14% of the US population.
In 2010, black men accounted for 70% (14,700) of the estimated 20,900 new HIV infections among all adult and adolescent blacks. The estimated rate of new HIV infection for black men (103.6/100,000 population) was seven times as high as that of white men, twice as high as that of Latino men, and nearly three times as high as among black women.
In 2010, black gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM)a represented an estimated 72% (10,600) of new infections among all black men and 36% of an estimated 29,800 new HIV infections among all MSM. More new HIV infections (4,800) occurred among young black MSM (aged 13-24) than any other age or racial group of MSM.
In 2010, black women accounted for 6,100 (29%) of the estimated new HIV infections among all adult and adolescent blacks. This number represents a decrease of 21% since 2008. Most HIV infections among black women (87%; 5,300) are attributed to heterosexual sex. The estimated rate of new HIV infections for black women (38.1/100,000 population) was 20 times as high as the rate for white women, and almost five times as high as that of Latinas.
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