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.