On National HIV Latino Awareness Day, A Push for Care

October 15 is National HIV Latino Awareness Day, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention want to spread the word: not enough Latinos diagnosed with HIV are receiving the treatment and care they need to live longer, healthier lives and prevent transmission of the virus to others.

HIV remains a major public health concern in Latino communities, where they bear a disproportionate burden of HIV in the U.S., representing 17 percent of the population but 21 percent of new HIV infections. Experts say that it although we now have more HIV prevention tools at our disposal than ever before, CDC data clearly shows that one of our most powerful tools for protecting people's health and preventing new infections -- HIV treatment -- isn't making its way to most Latinos who need it.

"Latino populations are less likely than other racial/ethnic groups to have access to health insurance," said amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research's Vice President and Director of Public Policy, Gregorio Millett, M.P.H. "Given major advances in the use of medication to prevent and treat HIV infection, an inability to access health insurance to pay for such medications not only impacts the number of infections in the Latino community but mortality as well."

Data released today show that too few Latinos living with HIV are receiving necessary care and treatment. Among Latinos diagnosed with HIV, just over half were retained in care (54 percent). Fewer than half of those diagnosed have been prescribed antiretroviral therapy (44 percent) and just 37 percent have achieved viral suppression -- meaning the virus is under control at a level that helps keep people healthy and reduces the risk of transmitting the virus to others.

These gaps in effective treatment and care play a significant role in the continued impact of HIV among Latinos and must be addressed to reverse the course of the epidemic. The Affordable Care Act and initiatives like the Ryan White Program help address financial barriers to HIV treatment and care, which is critically important for HIV prevention.

And CDC is committed to tackling HIV among Latinos through high-impact prevention, which focuses on reaching the populations at highest risk with the strategies that can have the greatest effect. Key among these efforts are to diagnose HIV-positive individuals earlier, link them to effective care and treatment, and help them adhere to medication regimens.

"Another major barrier is cultural competency among health professionals and the language barrier," said Millett. "Some studies have found that Spanish-only speaking Latinos are three times more likely to get into HIV care later than English-speaking Latinos. There are other stumbling blocks to access to care for Latinos other than language, but think about how much more welcoming our health system would be if there were more staff who spoke Spanish."

CDC is working to increase HIV testing and awareness of the full range of HIV prevention strategies through national communication campaigns, including two recently developed specifically for Latinos - We Can Stop HIV One Conversation At A Time and Reasons/Razones. These campaigns are designed to encourage discussion about HIV risk, testing, and prevention, both in the community overall and among those groups most affected.

CDC also has several initiatives underway to accelerate prevention progress among gay and bisexual men, who now account for roughly 68 percent of new HIV infections among Latinos.

"Unfortunately, one of the biggest drivers of the HIV epidemic among Latino gay and bisexual men is the same major driver of new infections among gay men of all race/ethnicities nationally," said Millett. "Too many gay men, Latino or otherwise, are HIV-positive. CDC estimates that as many as 1 in 5 Latino gay men in 22 major cities or localities are already HIV-positive. If only half of diagnosed gay and bisexual men are virally suppressed, then we will continue to see rising rates of HIV among Latino, white and black gay men."

Through these and other efforts, CDC is collaborating with national and local community partners to address the social, economic, clinical and structural factors influencing HIV health outcomes among Latinos and other minorities, including access to care, language barriers, stigma and discrimination.

These various factors present a multi-faceted and complex issue. There is no magic remedy that will enable us to immediately wipe away the burden of HIV among Latinos. Through well-planned and effective collaboration, we all can contribute to making strides toward progress.

Let National Latino AIDS Awareness Day serve as a rallying point -- the next step toward a community free of HIV. The treatments we have available can make people healthier and dramatically reduce the spread of HIV in this country. Now is the time to ensure everyone has the tools and the knowledge needed to get tested, and, if infected, to get on treatment and stay in care.