11 Facts About HIV/AIDS in the Latino Community

1. Approximately 220,000 out of the 1.1 million people living with HIV in America are Latino.
2. More than one third of Latinos were tested for HIV late in their illness, which means they were diagnosed with AIDS within a year of testing positive.
3. In 2009, Latinos made up approximately 16 percent of the U.S. population and accounted for nearly 20 percent of all new HIV cases.  
4. Latino men accounted for 7,400 (79 percent) new infections among all Latinos. This rate was 2.5 times higher than that of white males in the U.S.
5. Hispanic males are nearly 3 times more likely than white males to have AIDS, and Hispanic females are almost 5 times more likely than white females.
6. 1 in every 36 Latino men will be diagnosed with HIV in their lifetime.
7. Risk of HIV infection runs hand in hand with cultural factors. Some Latinos avoid testing, counseling, or treatment out of fear of being discriminated against or losing immigration status.
8. In 2010, Latino adults and adolescents ranked 2nd highest for new cases of HIV in the U.S. The rate was more than 3 times that of whites but less than half that of African Americans.
9. Latinas are less likely than white women to contract HIV through needles or other sharp objects used to inject drugs.
10. New York and California topped the list for highest population of Latinos living with HIV in 2010. Across the U.S., just 10 states contained 86 percent of HIV-positive Latinos.
11. HIV-positive Hispanic women are nearly 4 times more likely to die from their infection than white women, most likely due to a lack of proper treatment.

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Sources: CDC, KFF, The Body