It’s Time to Commit to Stopping the Spread of HIV

October 15th is National Latino AIDS Awareness Day. This year the organizers are using the slogan, “It’s time 'To End AIDS, Commit to Act'/ 'Para Acabar con el SIDA, Comprometete a Actuar.'    Why an HIV Awareness Day for Latinos?   Despite making up only 16% of the U.S. population, Hispanic/Latinos account for 21% of the 50,000 new HIV infections in this country every day. What does that mean in real numbers?  It means that 1 in 36 Hispanic/Latino men and 1 in 106 Hispanic/Latina women will be diagnosed with HIV in their lifetime. Is HIV really MY problem? Lots of people don’t think HIV/AIDS is a problem for them to worry about.  But 1 in 5 people with HIV, don’t know they have it.  That person may be you, it may be the person you are dating or will someday date, or it may be someone you don’t know.  But these kinds of massive health problems only get solved when everyone does their part. And if you think you are too young to worry about HIV, think again.  Did you know that 18 percent of all new HIV diagnoses are among young people aged 13–24 years--- of all racial and ethnic backgrounds?  Commit to Act Whether or not you are Hispanic/Latino, we all have an obligation to take action to help prevent the spread of HIV.  Here’s what you can do: Make healthy decisions. There is a link between drug use and HIV.  Actually, there are several links, but teens should be most concerned with how drugs can affect their judgment.  Drugs can make you do things y...
Source: NIDA Drugs and Health Blog - Category: Addiction Authors: Source Type: blogs