Thursday, October 16, 2008

HIV/AIDS: National Latino AIDS Awareness Day

So I'm reading this article on OraSure and providing free Oraquick HIV tests for Latino organizations, and I was struck my something I had never noticed before...


Yesterday was National Latino AIDS Awareness Day?

From their public statement:

Hispanic/Latino community leaders, Health department officials and elected representatives gathered today in Congress to urge Federal Agencies and Congress to recognize and adequately address the disproportionate toll HIV/AIDS is having on Hispanic communities nationwide. To date, the Federal response has not met the diverse and complex needs of the Latino communities.

“We recognize the need for increased awareness of HIV/AIDS in our communities of color,” said Congresswoman Hilda L. Solis, Chairwoman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Health and the Environment Task Force Priorities and longtime leader in the fight to eliminate racial and ethnic health disparities. “We also support increased funding for the Minority HIV/AIDS Initiative and its focus on HIV/AIDS prevention, research and treatment, the prevention of tuberculosis and Hepatitis C infections among HIV/AIDS patients and encouraging international HIV/AIDS organizations to expand efforts in Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean.”


I have to say this is awesome! I wish I had known about it, especially in light of the news that Latinos make up one of the faster growing sects of the population being affected by HIV/AIDS.

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