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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