Jun 10, 2021 - Health

HIV prevention and care lags for Latinos

Graph of HIV rates by race and ethnicity.
Data: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Chart: Axios Visuals

The incidence of HIV across the U.S. has gone down 73% since the first cases were reported in the country four decades ago, but the virus continues to ravage Latino and Black populations.

By the numbers: The Latino communities face four times the rates of HIV infection than white non-Hispanics in the U.S., per the CDC.

  • Latino gay men and Latina heterosexual women are the second and sixth groups most affected, according to CDC data on new diagnoses.
  • Incidence rates among 25-to-34-year-old Latino men have gone up 10% since 2014.

The bottom line: Hispanics and Latinos have lower viral suppression rates than the overall HIV-positive population in the U.S., which indicates they are facing barriers to care and not receiving antiretroviral treatments as needed.

  • They also have lower prescription access to PrEP, which helps prevent infection.
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