KEY ISSUES FACING LATINO COMMUNITY IN ADDRESSING HIV/AIDS

AN OVERVIEW

MAJOR HEALTH DISPARTY

• The rate of newly diagnosed AIDS cases per 100,000 for the Latino/Hispanic community in 2006 was 3.75 times greater than that of Whites

• Latinos/Hispanics were more than four times (4.35) more likely than Whites to develop AIDS within 12 months of testing positive for HIV. A strong indicator of late diagnosis and the late start of treatment.

• Latinos/Hispanics are three times more likely to die of HIV than Whites

ROOTS OF LATINO EPIDEMIC

• UNPROTECTED SEX BETWEEN MEN REMAINS PRIMARY SOURCE OF HIV INFECTIONS AMONG LATINOS

• LATINOS IN SOME AREAS (EASTERN SEABOARD AND PUERTO RICO) HAVE HIGHER RATES OF INFECTION DUE TO INJECTION DRUG USE WITH HIV COMTAMINATED SYRINGES

• HETEROSEXUAL TRANSMISSION IS DOMINANT FOR LATINAS AND A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF LATINO MEN (19%)

PREVENTION

• NEED TO ADDRESS STIGMA ASSOCIATED WITH USING SAFER SEX STRATEGIES AND TESTING.

• ALMOST ONE-HALF OF LATINOS DO NOT WANT TO BE TAUGHT BY TEACHER WITH HIV OR SHARE A ROOM WITH A PERSON WITH HIV/AIDS (KAISER 2006).

• NEED BEHAVIORAL PREVENTION STRATEGIES THAT LAST MORE THAN A FEW MONTHS AND ARE ATTUNED TO CONTEXT OF RISK FOR LATINOS

ACCESS TO CARE

• DEVELOP, FUND AND IMPLEMENT CULTURALLY AND LINGUISTICALLY EFFECTIVE PUBLIC EDUCATION CAMPAIGNS TO INCREASE HIV TESTING FOR HISPANICS

• ENSURE ACCESS TO PRIMARY CARE REGARDLESS OF IMMIGRATION OR HIV STATUS

• INCLUDE ACCESS TO HOSPITALIZATION AS PART OF RYAN WHITE CARE

RESEARCH

• NEED RESEARCH ON STRATEGIES TO ADDRESS FEAR OF ACCESSING CARE

• FUND RESEARCH ON FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO LATE HIV TESTING, DELAYED CARE AND DISCONTINUATION OF CARE AMONG LATINOS. WHY ARE LATINOS DYING EARLIER WITH THIS DISEASE THAN WHITES?

IMMIGRATION

• MAKE PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE GUIDELINES FOR HIV/AIDS TREATMENT MANDATORY FOR IMMIGRANTS DETAINED BY IMMIGRATION AND CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENT (ICE).

• ELIMINATE THE BAN ON ENTERING COUNTRY WITH HIV INFECTION

EPIDIMIOLOGY

• The CDC MUST ADDRESS THE INACCURACIES IN TRACKING ETHINICITY WITHIN PUERTO RICO AS COMPARED TO STATES.

• CDC SHOULD MAKE ANNUAL DATA BY STATE AND TERRATORY AVAILABLE BY RISK, GENDER AND ETHNICITY/RACE.