October 15th is National Latino AIDS Awareness Day. It’s one day out of the year set aside to call attention to a virus that has long affected the Latin community, with statistics that are still shocking.
Did you know:
- There are more than one million people in the U.S. living with HIV and one-fourth of them don’t know they are HIV-infected.
- HIV/AIDS in the third leading cause of death among Latin men ages 35 to 44 and the fourth leading cause of death among Latin women in the same age group.
- Most Latinas (70%) living with HIV/AIDS in 2005 were infected through heterosexual contact.
- Although Latins represent only 15% of the U.S. population, makeup 18% of new HIV infections
Truth is, if you don’t know you’re infected, you could be spreading it to others. And, if you discover that you have HIV, it does not mean that you’re going to get sick and die. While there is still no cure, new drugs are available thta can help you stay healthy and decrease the amount of HIV virus in your body.
You have the power to stop the spread of HIV by ALWAYS practicing safe sex. Don’t be afraid to talk about it with your partner. This is your life you’re talking about so you have every right to have this conversation. Also, talk to your doctor if you’re sexually active. Ask to be tested and not assume your doctor will ask you. And, spread the word. Set an example by getting tested and let everyone know they should do the same.
There are free and confidential or anonymous HIV tests available. To find an HIV testing site near you visit hivtest.org or call 1-800-CDC-INFO.
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