NCHHSTP Newsroom: Not Enough Latinos with HIV Getting Treatment

NCHHSTP Newsroom: Not Enough Latinos with HIV Getting Treatment

In advance of National Latino AIDS Awareness Day (observed next Wednesday, October 15, 2014), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a new analysis showing that fewer than half of Latinos diagnosed with HIV are receiving the treatment and care they need. HIV treatment is critically important because it helps people live longer, healthier lives and can prevent transmission of the virus to partners.

Key Findings:

In 2010, among Latinos who had been diagnosed with HIV:

• Just over half (54 percent) were retained in care
• Fewer than half (44 percent) were prescribed antiretroviral therapy
• Just 37 percent 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

HIV remains a major public health concern in Latino communities. Latinos bear a disproportionate burden of HIV in the United States, representing 17 percent of the population but 21 percent of new HIV infections. CDC is committed to a high-impact prevention approach to ensure resources are directed to activities that will have the greatest impact on reducing HIV among hard-hit populations, including Latinos.

For more information, see our media statement (available in English or Spanish). Additional reporter resources are available on the NCHHSTP online newsroom.