National Latino AIDS Awareness Day
HIV affects the health of Latinos in the United States. In 2005, HIV/AIDS was the fourth leading cause of death among Hispanic/Latino men and women aged 35 to 44. National Latino AIDS Awareness Day provides these communities with an opportunity to encourage HIV prevention, testing and treatment.
October 15th is National Latino AIDS Awareness Day (NLAAD), which helps to increase awareness of the devastating and disproportionate effects of HIV/AIDS in the Latino community. Started by the Latino Commission on AIDS and the Hispanic Federation, in partnership with a variety of faith and community organizations, this observance day provides Latino communities with an opportunity to encourage HIV prevention, testing and treatment.
Impact on Latino Communities
The HIV/AIDS epidemic is a serious threat to the Hispanic/Latino community. While this community only makes up about 15% of the US population, Hispanics/Latinos accounted for 18% of the HIV/AIDS diagnoses in 2006 in 33 states with long-term, confidential name-based HIV reporting. Further, there are cultural and behavioral differences within the Hispanic population that can affect prevention planning. For example, HIV transmission categories among Hispanics have been shown to vary by place of birth. During 2001-2005, HIV infection through male-to-male sexual contact was more common among Hispanics born in the United States, South America, Cuba, and Mexico than among Hispanics born in Central America and the Dominican Republic, who had a larger proportion of infections attributed to high-risk heterosexual contact.
Because the US Hispanic/Latino population is expected to triple from 2000 to 2050, HIV/AIDS prevention is an issue that needs to be continually addressed in this population. Taking into account the differing risk behaviors of different subgroups of Hispanics is an important consideration in developing prevention programs.
More Information
- CDC's press release on National Latino AIDS Awareness Day
(Día Nacional para la Concientización del Sida en los Latinos) - CDC's HIV and Hispanics/Latinos Web page
(Hispanos o latinos) - Basic Information on HIV/AIDS
(Información básica) - HIV/AIDS in the United States
(Hoja Informativa: VIH/SIDA en los Estados Unidos) - National HIV and STD Testing Resources (Recursos Nacionales Para La Prueba Del VIH Y ETS)
- Watch a Podcast
- Latino Commission on AIDS
5:57 mins)
