In the United States (U.S.), Hispanics
are rich in cultural diversity and vary by
national origin. In fact, 40% of U.S.
Hispanics are foreign born. Additionally,
U.S. Hispanics from different backgrounds
differ from one another in their HIV
behavioral risk factors, perception of risk,
use of HIV prevention services, and
timeliness of AIDS diagnoses (1,2). This
diversity is important information for HIV
prevention, because Hispanics are
disproportionately affected by human
immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired
immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). In 2006,
Hispanics comprised 15% of the U.S.
population, but accounted for 18% of new
HIV/AIDS diagnoses (3) and 18% of persons
living with HIV (4); the estimated rate of
new HIV infections was 2.6 times as high
among Hispanics as among non-Hispanic whites
(29.4 cases/100,000 population versus 11.5
cases/100,000 population) (5). Furthermore,
the 2000-2003 supplemental HIV/AIDS
surveillance interview data indicate that
Hispanics are twice as likely as
non-Hispanic whites to be tested late in
their infection (6). Because HIV testing,
and particularly early knowledge of HIV
infection, are critical for HIV prevention,
CDC analyzed the 2005 national HIV
Counseling and Testing (CT) database to
characterize HIV testing among Hispanics
attending publicly funded sites in the U.S.,
Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
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