This week, health officials hope to hope to raise awareness about the importance of HIV prevention and education, particularly within the region’s Latino community.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that just four years ago, in 2010, close to 6,700 new HIV infections were detected among Latino populations.
Citing those national figures, Public Health Dayton and Montgomery County stated, “the largest number of new [HIV] infections among Latino gay and bisexual men occurred among those aged 25 to 34.”
The CDC also estimates that in some larger cities “nearly 1 in 5 Latino gay and bisexual men are infected with HIV.” They suggest that half of the men infected with HIV don’t know they have it because they’ve not been tested.
To raise awareness of the issue, the HIV/AIDS Prevention Committee of Region 7, which includes Montgomery, Butler, Darke, Miami, Preble and Warren counties, has declared Wednesday, October 15th National Latino AIDS Awareness Day. Free HIV testing will be conducted at several locations throughout those counties.
