Over the past 40 years, thanks to science and advocacy, many believe that ending the AIDS epidemic is within our reach. While diagnosis of the disease was once a death sentence, medicines now allow people with AIDS to live longer and healthier lives, and can also help prevent the spread of the disease.
The impact of these advances has been very profound. The CDC estimates that new AIDS infections in the United States have decreased more than 70 percent since 1984 (1).
However, in the Latino community the statistics remain alarming – and frustrating.
New cases are on the rise in our communities, and data shows that we continue to be disproportionately affected by this epidemic. We represent less than 20 percent of the US population, but we make up more than a quarter of all AIDS cases and nearly 1 in 3 of all new diagnoses in 2022. The rate of new cases among Latinos is nearly double the national average, and the second highest of any racial or ethnic group in the country, after people of color (2).
These numbers are much more than figures on a spreadsheet. They represent our parents and partners, our siblings, friends and neighbors.
AIDS is often considered an “invisible epidemic” in the Latino community (3), but on October 15, we will shine national attention on this disease and its impact on our community through National AIDS Awareness Day. los Latinos – National Latinx AIDS Awareness Day (NLAAD). Founded by the Latino Commission on AIDS and the Hispanic Federation, NLAAD’s mission is to raise awareness about the important and critical role of AIDS testing, prevention and treatment education programs targeting Latino communities, and about the disparities and unique vulnerabilities that obstruct efforts to end the AIDS epidemic.
Impediments to progress
Discrimination and stigma related to AIDS hinder access to screening, prevention and treatment services, as do a range of systemic, cultural and economic inequalities, such as linguistic differences, lack of health insurance and a culturally appropriate medical care, without forgetting medical mistrust (4).
Added to this picture are homophobia and retrograde attitudes that make talking about sex and sexual health taboo. All of this is coupled with the stigma and misinformation around AIDS, which festers in the Latino community and prevents many people from accessing accurate information, testing, treatment and prevention.
Prevention can be for everyone
One of the big innovations in AIDS prevention is pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, a medication that significantly reduces the risk (5) of contracting AIDS when used as prescribed. PrEP is available 6 at health clinics, doctors’ offices, health departments, and AIDS service organizations. In fact, national PrEP use has increased steadily nationally since it was first introduced in 2012: 17 percent between 2022 and 2023 alone (7).
However, there are system barriers that prevent many people from benefiting from this. While white people have integrated PrEP into their health routines and represent 64 percent of all PrEP users, the Latino community has lagged behind in its consumption and is 18 percent, according to data from AIDSVu in 2023 (7).
Closing the gap in AIDS care
These differences are neither inevitable nor insurmountable, which is why I can imagine the end of the Latin AIDS crisis.
Just take a look around us. Our people are proud. Our families are strong. Our culture is as diverse as the countries that were once home to our families. We are not a single star, we are an entire constellation. Our rich tradition of social activism and advocacy for people living with AIDS and gay and transgender people that includes pioneers such as Lorena Borjas, Cecilia Gentili, Ray Navarro, Sylvia Rivera, Dennis de Leon, and Pedro Zamora, for only mention a few.
We know ourselves and others better. We will be more effective in closing gaps in AIDS care because we know what our community needs (8). We must promote educational initiatives more appropriate to our culture, and encourage healthcare providers to have more patient-centered interactions and AIDS testing, prevention, and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).
We are not alone in this fight. Along with organizations such as Gilead Sciences, which helps sponsor community mobilization programs in the fight against AIDS, such as National Latinx AIDS Awareness Day (NLAAD) ), the Latino Commission on AIDS, a Gilead beneficiary, can implement a variety of initiatives to increase education and awareness about AIDS, specifically regarding the benefits of testing, treatment and prevention, and ensure that more members of the Latino community have support and access to AIDS healthcare. These collaborative efforts are vital to changing the trajectory of the epidemic.
It’s time to act!
The strength of the family – whether biological or adopted – as the cornerstone of the community is our best weapon to eliminate myths related to sexual health. Let’s start by talking to our older and younger relatives and community members. Let’s eliminate the myths and normalize AIDS, PrEP and the support services available to people living with AIDS.
Talking about our health is an act of self-preservation and community preservation; There is no reason to feel ashamed or judged about it. Closing the gaps between generations allows us to learn from others and support each other.
A future in which AIDS continues to devastate our progress as a community is not acceptable. Every life in our community is worth fighting for. We must and we can stop AIDS. Together.
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Others
1. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report Estimated Annual Number of HIV Infections ? United States, 1981-2019, CDC, Publicado el 4 de junio de 2021
2. Understanding the Current HIV Epidemic, AIDSVu, Publicado en 2022
3. The Invisible US Hispanic/Latino HIV Crisis: Addressing Gaps in the National Response, AJPH, Publicado en enero de 2020
4. Stigma and HIV, CDC, Published April 16, 2024
5. Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), CDC, Last revised July 5, 2022
6. Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis, HIV.gov, Last updated June 27, 2024
7. Deeper Looks: PrEP, AIDSVu, Released 2023
8. Peer- and community-led responses to HIV: A scoping review, PLOS ONE, Published December 1, 2021