McHenry County Department of Health (MCDH) recognizes October 15 as National Latino AIDS Awareness Day, a campaign aimed at engaging the Hispanic/Latino community in promoting HIV awareness through testing, prevention and education. This year’s theme is “Save a Life – It May Be Your Own.” MCDH offers free and confidential HIV testing and counseling for high risk individuals in less than an hour. Call 815-334-4500 for an appointment.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that Latinos progress to AIDS faster than any other racial or ethnic group (42% are diagnosed with AIDS within 12 months of receiving a status of HIV positive). Anyone can get HIV – the disease does not discriminate. HIV is spread by unprotected sex with an infected partner, sharing of needles and from an infected mother to her baby. Nationally, the rate of new HIV infections among Hispanic women is nearly 4 times that of white women; for Hispanic men, the rate is nearly double that among white men. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that, in 2009, Hispanics/Latinos represent 11.3% of McHenry County residents; for Illinois, it is 13%.
Factors that increase the risk of HIV among Hispanics include socioeconomic (poverty, discrimination, lack of access to healthcare, language barriers), stigma, cultural and a high prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Visit www.actagainstaids.org to get the facts about HIV. For more information, call MCDH at 815-334-4500.
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