CDC: Latinos with HIV report stigma, discrimination
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Latinos with HIV are facing stigma and discrimination due to their diagnosis, making it harder for them to receive adequate care, according to CDC data released Thursday.
Why it matters: The shame associated with disclosing HIV status or fearing doctors won't listen to their needs could lead Latinos to avoid testing or treatment — a decision that could be fatal.
The big picture: The report comes as Latino men are among the most likely to be impacted by monkeypox, a disease where similar stigma, language barriers and lack of access to care have contributed to disparities similar to those in the HIV epidemic.
Details: The CDC analyzed roughly 2,700 responses from Hispanic adults with HIV and broke down reports of stigma and health care discrimination by race, gender and limited English proficiency.
- Women, Latinos from the Caribbean, and those who identified as American Indian or Alaska Native reported the highest levels of stigma-related concerns over their HIV status.
- Nearly 30% of Black Latinos reported experiencing health care discrimination compared to 21% of white Latinos.
- The differences among identities within Latino communities point to the importance of comprehensive data collection to properly address disparities, the researchers wrote.
Zoom out: The number of people newly diagnosed with HIV has dropped by 6% since 2010, but increased among Latinos by at least 14%, according to the American Journal of Public Health.
- Of the new HIV infections in the U.S. in 2019, more than one in four were among Latinos, per CDC data.
- As the pandemic drove an overall decline in HIV testing from 2019, it was almost halved for Latinos in non-health care settings, CDC data found.
Between the lines: Back in March, President Biden's budget proposed a total of $850 million in funding toward the goal of eradicating HIV by 2030 — almost half a century after the epidemic first began.
Yes, but: The funding has yet to be approved by Congress, along with the $4.5 million ask from the White House to address ongoing monkeypox outbreaks.
- This has prompted HRSA’s HIV/AIDS division and the CDC to reallocate resources for people with HIV toward monkeypox prevention as a temporary solution, Demetre Daskalakis, White House national monkeypox deputy coordinator, said in a Sept. 28 media briefing.
