Hispanics and Latinos Continue to Struggle with the HIV Crisis

There are an estimated 50 million Hispanics and Latinos living across America. These millions are struggling every day in different forms such as human rights, equal opportunities, affordable housing and most of all hospitalization. These are only a few of the Latino crises experienced and observed in the country. HIV and AIDS are also a couple of major issues facing the Hispanic and Latino community.

In an article published in Newsweek, this year's Worlds Aids Day is marked to give awareness about the increasing global pandemic and the Hispanics and Latinos living in the U.S. are in the midst of this global health problem. An expert even described it as an invisible HIV crisis.

The virus was first discovered in 1984 and since then researchers tried to research a cure for this disease. However, what they only have is not a cure but only a pill that would stop it from spreading inside the body. This disease is said to be a mysterious killer because it killed thousands of people who don't have access to healthcare and medicine. In 1995 around 41,699 were recorded to have HIV-AIDS and in 2016 6,456 died due to HIV-AIDS. Moreover, as the years go by, the number of people infected with HIV-AIDS has dropped.in 2010 to six percent while between 2012 and 2016 it dropped to four percent.

However, despite the decrease of people infected with this virus, Hispanics and Latinos are still one of the most infected groups with HIV-AIDS. Between 2010 and 2016 around 14 percent of the 58 million Hispanics and Latinos living in the U.S. were infected with this virus. This Latino crisis must be addressed as soon as possible because most of the Hispanics and Latinos infected with this virus are those who are new in the country. Moreover, between 2012 and 2016 the number of Latinx infected increased to seven percent. According to President Donald Trump, he is optimistic in efforts to decline the number of HIV-AIDS victims by 2030.

In an article published in October in the American Journal of Public Health, that HIV-AIDS infected Hispanics and Latino are significantly found across all regions in America like California, Texas, Florida, New York, and Puerto Rico. Moreover, two-thirds of the infected persons were diagnosed in 2016.

This Latino crisis is very significant because these victims were not treated well due to their status in the country. It can be recalled in a previous article published by Latin Post, that a Latino man was afraid to get medical assistance from the U.S. government because they might be deported due to their status. Medical treatment is indeed one of the leading Latino crises that must be addressed by the U.S. government to make them feel that they are accepted and well accommodated in their second home.

According to Professor Vincent Guilamo-Ramos of New York University's Center for Latino Adolescent and Family Health that most Hispanic and Latino victims are at a very young age. The new arrivals in the U.S. were also included in the report to be one of the most vulnerable groups infected with this virus.

It is estimated that those Hispanic and Latino men engaging in homosexual intercourse are infected with HIV and the AIDS virus is around 80 percent, and every year it increases.