National Latinx AIDS Awareness Day 1 in 6 Hispanics/Latinos with HIV are Unaware They Have the Virus

The Ohio HIV/AIDS Prevention Committee of region 9 - Clark, Darke, Greene, Miami, Montgomery, and Preble counties recognize National Latinx AIDS Awareness, October 15, 2022.

National Latinx AIDS Awareness Day (or El Día Nacional de Concientizacion Latina del SIDA in Spanish) was created by the Latino Commission on AIDS and the Hispanic Federation in 2003. The purpose of this day is to raise public awareness of the HIV epidemic in the Hispanic/Latinx communities in the USA.

In 2019, an estimated 1.2 million people had HIV. Of those, 294,200 were Hispanic/Latinx people.¹ As far as new HIV infections, while Hispanic/Latinx people represents only 16% of the U.S. population, they accounted for 29% (10,494) of the 36,801 new HIV diagnosis in the U.S. in 2019.²

Local and current data shows 912 new cases of HIV were reported in Ohio during 2021. Of those, 55 (6%) were among Hispanics/Latinx.³ Region 9 made up 83 of the 912 new HIV cases in Ohio, and Hispanic/Latinx represented 1% of those cases.³

Despite the high cases of HIV, and the recommendation that everyone between the ages of 13 and 64 get tested for HIV at least once as part of routine health care, many Hispanic/Latinx individuals remain untested.^4,5 Unfortunately, when Hispanics/Latinx individuals are tested for HIV, they are tested late: Nearly half (48%) are tested for HIV within three (3) years of an AIDS-defining diagnosis.⁵

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 1 in 6 Hispanics/Latinx people with HIV are unaware they have the virus. Persons who do not know they have HIV, cannot take advantage of HIV care and treatment, and may unknowingly pass HIV to others.⁶

Other issues that may put some Hispanics/Latinx people at higher risk for HIV infection include.⁶

• Having higher rates of some sexually transmitted infections (STI) than other races/ethnicities. (Having another STI can increase a person’s chance of getting or transmitting HIV).
• Poverty, migration patterns, lower educational level, and language barriers may make it harder to get HIV testing and care.
• Not using HIV prevention services, get an HIV test, or get treatment if they have HIV due to fear of disclosing their immigration status.
• Some experience high levels of mistrust of the health care system. (Lower levels of trust can reduce the chance of clinic visits and result in lower use of and adherence to antiretroviral medications).
• Stigma, fear, discrimination, and homophobia may impact the lives of some Hispanics/Latinos.

The U.S. Census Bureau predicts that by 2050 nearly one-third of the U.S. population will be of Hispanic/Latinx ethnicity and is a fast-growing ethnic minority group in the U.S.² This is why it is critical to openly talk about HIV to help normalize the subject, and aid in reducing stigma. Reducing stigma begins with you! Get Educated and Get Tested!

       Find out if you are at risk for HIV and get tested. Below is a list of local HIV testing sites:

Resources:

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, September 2022. Available at:  https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/pdf/group/racialethnic/hispanic-latino/cdc-hiv-group-hispanic-latino-factsheet.pdf.  Accessed October 11, 2022.
2. National Institutes of Health. HIV Testing Beliefs in a Predominantly Hispanic Community Health Center During the Routine HIV Testing Era: Does English Language Ability Matter? available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3545313. Accessed October 11, 2022.
3. Ohio Department of Health Surveillance Date Tables, 2021. Available at: https://odh.ohio.gov/wps/wcm/connect/gov/14b473c5-e559-430f-a429-22e57d8182c9/Region9-2021.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&CONVERT_TO=url&CACHEID=ROOTWORKSPACE.Z18_M1HGGIK0N0JO00QO9DDDDM3000-14b473c5-e559-430f-a429-22e57d8182c9-o9aURMM. Accessed October 11, 2022.
4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. HIV Testing. Available at:

https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/testing/index.html.  Accessed September 16, 2021.

1. National Institutes of Health. HIV Testing Beliefs in a Predominantly Hispanic Community Health Center During the Routine HIV Testing Era: Does English Language Ability Matter? Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3545313.  Accessed October 3, 2022.
2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. HIV and Hispanics/Latinos, 2020. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/group/racialethnic/hispaniclatinos/index.html.  Accessed September 10, 2021.