Knowing HIV status means you can make decisions to take care of your health and the health of those you care about

October 15 is National Latino AIDS Awareness Day (NLAAD). This day marks an opportunity to increase awareness of the devastating and disproportionate effects of AIDS in the Latino community. While Latinos only make up about 14% of the U.S. population, they account for 19% of the AIDS cases in the U.S. since the start of the epidemic.  "HIV testing plays a critical role in reducing the spread of AIDS, and prevention is the key to working with HIV," says Cathleen Wilcyznski, Washtenaw County Public Health Nurse Practitioner.

The HIV/AIDS epidemic is a serious threat to the Hispanic/Latino community. In addition to being a population seriously affected by HIV, Hispanics/Latinos continue to face challenges in accessing health care, prevention services, and HIV treatment. In 2005, HIV/AIDS was the fourth leading cause of death among Hispanic/Latino men and women aged 35 to 44.

Of the rates of AIDS diagnoses for adults and adolescents of all races/ethnicities, the second highest (after the rate for blacks) was the rate for Hispanics/Latinos.

 Although there are effective treatments available, there’s no cure, so preventing transmission is the key!

More information:

• What Hispanics/Latinos Can Do To Protect Themselves
• Washtenaw County Public Health Adult Clinic
• Center for Disease Control
• National Latino AIDS Awareness Day
• For federal information on NLAAD in Spanish, visit InfoSIDA.