African Americans & Latinos Continue to Face High HIV Risk.

More than half of all Americans diagnosed with HIV each year are African American, and almost 13 percent are Latino. Members of these two at-risk groups, as well as others at increased risk — including men who have sex with men, sexually active youth, and those who use injection drugs — are among the thousands of Americans being urged to seek HIV testing during this year’s National HIV Testing Day (NHTD) events now being organized across the country.

NHTD is Sunday, June 27. Organized by the National Association of People with AIDS (NAPWA-US), NHTD is intended to encourage at-risk individuals to seek voluntary HIV counseling and testing in order to obtain appropriate medical care should they test positive. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that between 180,000 and 280,000 Americans are living with HIV but don’t know it. These individuals do not benefit from today’s life-prolonging treatments.

“Too many people never get tested and don’t know their status, which can jeopardize their health,” said Terje Anderson, Executive Director of NAPWA. “National HIV Testing Day is an important reminder that voluntary HIV counseling and testing need to be a routine part of the medical care of every at-risk individual, especially those who are sexually active and those who share needles.”

The following CDC statistics paint the latest picture of the U.S. HIV epidemic:

— African Americans made up about 54 percent of the new HIV diagnoses in the United States in 2002, although they represent only 12 percent of the total U.S. population

— Nearly 13 percent of new HIV diagnoses occurred among Latinos in 2002

— Almost 30 percent of new HIV diagnoses were among women in 2002, more than three quarters of which were due to heterosexual contact

— An estimated one-half of all new HIV infections each year are in young people under the age of 25

— Men who have sex with men accounted for more than 40 percent of new HIV diagnoses in 2002

Health experts point out that many in minority groups do not receive treatment. “African Americans and Latinos continue to be seriously affected by HIV, and far too many are missing out on treatment and support because they’re unaware of their infection,” said Janet Collins, Acting Director of HIV, STD, and TB programs at the CDC.

“It’s Better to Know” is the theme of this year’s NHTD campaign, which is being supported by communities across the United States through a variety of activities and local events. These programs, unique to each community, include extended testing hours and increased public outreach. Following is a listing of just a few of these events. For more information on your local NHTD events, please log onto http://www.HIVtest.org , choose the “NHTD Spotlight”, and then “NHTD Events”.