Disparities in Rates of Death From HIV or Tuberculosis Before Age 65 Years, by Race, Ethnicity, and Sex, United States, 2011-2020

Abstract

Objective: Death from tuberculosis or HIV among people from racial and ethnic minority groups who are aged <65 years is a public health concern. We describe age-adjusted, absolute, and relative death rates from HIV or tuberculosis from 2011 through 2020 by sex, race, and ethnicity among US residents. Methods: We used mortality data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention online data system on deaths from multiple causes from 2011 through 2020 to calculate age-adjusted death rates and absolute and relative disparities in rates of death by sex, race, and ethnicity. We calculated corresponding 95% CIs for all rates and determined significance at P < .05 by using z tests. Results: For tuberculosis, when compared with non-Hispanic White residents, non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Native residents had the highest level of disparity in rate of death (666.7%). Similarly, as compared with non-Hispanic White female residents, American Indian or Alaska Native female residents had a high relative disparity in death from tuberculosis (620.0%). For HIV, the age-adjusted death rate was more than 8 times higher among non-Hispanic Black residents than among non-Hispanic White residents, and the relative disparity was 735.1%. When compared with non-Hispanic White female residents, Black female residents had a high relative disparity in death from HIV (1529.2%). Conclusion: Large disparities in rates of death from tuberculosis or HIV among US residents aged <65 years based on sex, race, and ethnicity indicate an ongoing unmet need for effective interventions. Intervention strategies are needed to address disparities in rates of death and infection among racial and ethnic minority populations.