Latino Awareness Latino Awareness
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Impact on Latino Communities

The HIV/AIDS epidemic is a serious threat to the Hispanic/Latino community. While this community only makes up about 15% of the US population, Hispanics/Latinos accounted for 18% of the HIV/AIDS diagnoses in 2006 in 33 states with long-term, confidential name-based HIV reporting. Further, there are cultural and behavioral differences within the Hispanic population that can affect prevention planning. For example, HIV transmission categories among Hispanics have been shown to vary by place of birth. During 2001-2005, HIV infection through male-to-male sexual contact was more common among Hispanics born in the United States, South America, Cuba, and Mexico than among Hispanics born in Central America and the Dominican Republic, who had a larger proportion of infections attributed to high-risk heterosexual contact.

Because the US Hispanic/Latino population is expected to triple from 2000 to 2050, HIV/AIDS prevention is an issue that needs to be continually addressed in this population. Taking into account the differing risk behaviors of different subgroups of Hispanics is an important consideration in developing prevention programs