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Hispanic/Latina Women and AIDS: by Lydia Blasini-Caceres and Amy Beth Cook
Working Paper No. 36 October 1997
It is estimated that 1.5 million people in the United States are infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. According to the 1996 CDC HIV/AIDS Survelliance report, the Center's for Disease Control reported 501,310 cases of AIDS in the United States as of October 1995. This number grew to 525,050 by December 1995. Fifty-one percent of the reported AIDS cases were among African-Americans and Hispanics/Latinos. These figures become more significant when compared to the national population breakdown. African-Americans represent 12.1% of the population while Hispanics/Latinos represent 9% of the population (CDC, 1995). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that approximately 120,000 women in United States are infected with HIV, making women the fastest growing group of people with AIDS in the United States. From this growing group of victims, African-American and Hispanic/Latino women are disproportionately represented among those with HIV/AIDS, and the disease is expected to spread at much higher rates among these groups in the coming decade (CDC HIV/AIDS Surveillance Report, 1996). The best know prevention against AIDS at present is education, so men and women should be educated about how to protect themselves. The primary routes of transmission of HIV infection in the United States are culturally structured social behaviors, particularly the sharing of intravenous drug injection equipment and sexual acts involving the exchange of body fluids. The dangers of unprotected sex with multiple partners, anal sex, and violent sex should be explained in detail. The use of condoms and alternate forms of sexual experience should also be openly discussed. AIDS preventive education must include education about drug use as well, including the provision of clean needles or a means of cleaning them. Moreover, the government, at all levels, must also be held accountable for acceptable levels of commitment to and intervention in minority communities. This includes the provision of HIV/AIDS education programs that focus on minority issues, medical services within minority communities for those infected with the virus, and allocation of funds for research into treatment and prevention of AIDS for minorities. Additionally, we need to be sure AIDS education and services are available in minority communities, culturally sensitive, and accessible to all people. Hardcopy Price: $3.00
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