National Latino AIDS Awareness Day — October 15, 2012

National Latino AIDS Awareness Day — October 15, 2012

Weekly

October 12, 2012 / 61(40);805-805

National Latino AIDS Awareness Day is observed each year to increase awareness of the disproportionate impact of human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) on the Hispanic or Latino population in the United States. In 2009, the estimated percentage of persons in the United States with HIV infection who did not know they were infected was 19.7% among Hispanics or Latinos, compared with 14.8% among non-Hispanic whites (1). National Latino AIDS Awareness Day, October 15, 2012, is an opportunity to encourage increased HIV prevention activities, such as HIV testing and linkage to care and treatment, for Hispanics or Latinos.
Two of the goals of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy are to reduce HIV incidence and to reduce HIV-related disparities (2). For 2009, estimates of HIV incidence indicated that Hispanics or Latinos had a rate of 26.4 per 100,000 population, compared with 9.1 for non-Hispanic whites (3).
CDC supports testing, access to care and treatment, and a range of other efforts to reduce HIV infection among Hispanics or Latinos. Additional information about CDC activities for National Latino AIDS Awareness Day and HIV resources is available at http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/latinos/index.htm.

References

1. CDC. Monitoring selected national HIV prevention and care objectives using HIV surveillance data—United States and 6 U.S. dependent areas—2010. HIV surveillance supplemental report 2012;17(No. 3, part A). Available at http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/surveillance/resources/reports/2010supp_vol17no3/index.htm. Accessed October 4, 2012.
2. Office of National AIDS Policy. The National HIV/AIDS strategy for the United States and the National HIV/AIDS strategy: federal implementation plan. Washington, DC: Office of National AIDS Policy; 2010. Available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/onap/nhas. Accessed October 10, 2012.
3. Prejean J, Song R, Hernandez A, et al. Estimated HIV incidence in the United States, 2006–2009. PLoS ONE 2011;6:e17502.