STD’s and Health in the Latino Community- Learn the facts Elizabeth Lee-Rey, MD Co-Director Hispanic Center of Excellence/AECOM March 28, 2003

Projections of the Resident Population by Race and Ethnicity Source Data for 2005; Population projections program, Population Division, U.S. Census Bureau, January 2000

Educational Attainment of Persons Age 25 and older, 1998 Collins, Hall, and Neuhaus, U. S. Minority Health: A Chart Book, 1999 The Commonwealth Fund

Sex and Sexuality What do you think about? What do you know? What do you ask? Who do you ask? When do you ask? How do you ask?

What do you think about? Am I ready? Do I want to? Am I in a safe place? Do I have protection?

Boys Attitudes Toward Sexual Behavior Over Time The Commonwealth Fund Survey of the Health of Adolescent Girls, 1997

What do you know?

Sexually Transmitted Diseases 1 out of 4 sexually experienced teens acquires a STD each year. Higher rates of Gonorrhea for teens than for sexually active men/women 20-44y/o. HIV: 7 th leading cause of death among individuals age Latinas are infected with HIV 7 times higher than white females.

What do you know? Gonorrhea can develop 2 to 6 days after exposure whereas NGU can take 1 to 5 weeks after infection. Some have symptoms and some do not. Gonorrhea often travels with Chlamydia. Gonorrhea,Chlamydia, Trichomonas are curable.

What do you know? While HIV,AIDS, Herpes, Syphilis, Hepatitis B, HPV are not. Cervical Cancer is preventable.

What do you ask? How many partners have you been with? Do you use protection? Every time? Do you have a regular MD? Do you know about HIV and AIDS?

Who do you ask?

Which group is less likely to have a regular physician? Asian Seniors Hispanic Adolescents African American Newborns Middle-age Women

Minority Boys Are Less Likely to Have a Regular Physician The Commonwealth Fund Survey of the Health of Adolescent Girls, 1997 Louis Harris and Associates, Inc Percent of boys with no regular MD

Older Boys and Girls Differ on Sources of Information About Birth Control The Commonwealth Fund Survey of the Health of Adolescent Girls, 1997 Where have you learned about birth control?

Older Boys Would Use a Variety of Sources to Obtain Birth Control The Commonwealth Fund Survey of the Health of Adolescent Girls, 1997

When do you ask?

Teen Pregnancy 260,376 pregnancies15-19 years old 140,417 babies born15-19 years old 6,915 babies born < 15 years old Hispanic females = 17% teen pregnancy 5.5 million Hispanic girls < 18 years old

STD’S Gonorrhea Nongonococcal urethritis (NGU) Chlamydia Herpes HPV Syphilis Hepatitis B Scabies HIV/AIDS Cervical Cancer Granuloma inguinal Lymphogranuloma venereum Trichomonas

The Leading Cause of Death for Hispanics in NYC In NYC, according to 1995 data, AIDS was the leading cause of death for Hispanic males from ages 1 yr old to 59 yrs old. It was the leading cause of death for Hispanic females from birth to 49 yrs old. Source: The seventh Annual Hispanic Federation Annual Survey Hispanic New Yorkers on Nueva York Report 4:Latinos and HIV/AIDS

HIV Worldwide People newly infected with HIV in 2000 Total count5.3 million Adults4.7 million Women2.2 million Children <15 yo600,000 Worldwide, HIV/AIDs is the 4 th leading cause death.

How do you ask? As if you life depended on it.

Common misconceptions “I know exactly where I got this disease.” “I got this disease from my last sexual partner.’ “When my symptoms are gone, my infection is cured.” My symptoms are not from an STD, but from other causes (ie. Stress, chemical burns, zipper trauma, or menstrual cramps.

Take Home Message Only you have the ability to reduce the risk of infection, and reinfection. Take medications as directed. Return for follow up. Recognize signs and symptoms in yourselves and in your partners. Remember STD’s can be asymptomatic. If you are high risk- check yourself out.

Final Take Home Message Use condoms Demand it for yourself- you are worth it.