Kick-Off to National Latinx AIDS Awareness Day 2019

New York, NY, October 11, 2019 – National Latinx AIDS Awareness Day (NLAAD), is held each year on the last day of Hispanic Heritage Month – October 15. NLAAD has been successful in mobilizing communities to raise awareness and highlight the impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic among Hispanic/Latinx communities. NLAAD promotes local, regional and national collaborative efforts related to HIV testing, Prevention (including PrEP and PEP), linkage and retention in care, reaching HIV viral suppression. We are deeply concerned by the increases in HIV in our communities, especially among our gay and bi men of all ages, Cis gender Latinas, and Trans Latinas throughout the U.S. and its territories.

The latest data from the Centers for Disease Control shows that at the end of 2016, 231,838 Hispanics/Latinos were living with HIV in the US and dependent areas, including Puerto Rico. In NYC, during 2017, 36% of the new diagnoses were among Latinos/Hispanics, while Latinos make up 27.5% of the population in NYC.

This year’s NLAAD theme, “Living with HIV or not… We’re fighting this together”, highlights the need to fight stigma and the important role everyone – independent of HIV status – play in addressing the impact of HIV and working together to end the HIV epidemic.

“As an openly HIV+ elected official, access to HIV/AIDS services and education has always been a priority for me. It will remain a priority for me and this City Council until we end this epidemic,” said Speaker of the New York City Council Corey Johnson. “With new HIV diagnoses hitting the Latinx community especially hard, it is imperative for all of us to raise awareness and empower one another through awareness and education. The City Council is proud to join the Latino Commission on AIDS and the Hispanic Federation in recognizing October 15 as National Latinx AIDS Awareness Day.”

“HIV/AIDS disproportionately affects Hispanic/Latinx Americans, with stigma, poverty, and limited access to health care presenting real and unique challenges to our communities. I join with the Latino Commission on AIDS to recognize National Latino AIDS Awareness Day and call on our federal, state, and local governments to provide more resources to help curb new HIV diagnoses in the United States, of which Latinx Americans account for more than a quarter of,” said New York City Councilwoman Carlina Rivera.

“The stigma of living with HIV/AIDS continues to this day, which is why events like this are so important. We must never stop fighting back against this disease in our communities. That means talking to our neighbors and loved ones every day about its impact on our collective wellbeing. I stand in solidarity with my fellow Latinx community leaders in calling for unity and a renewed sense of urgency to continue building awareness.”, stated New York City Councilmember Carlos Menchaca.

“On National Latinx AIDS Awareness Day, we renew our commitment to ending HIV and AIDS in the Latinx community,” said New York City Councilmember Daniel Dromm. “Although overall new infection rates have declined here in NYC, progress in communities of color has stagnated. It is clear that we still have much more work to do to ensure that all New Yorkers, particularly Latinx people, are educated on the virus and how to prevent HIV infection. By promoting HIV screenings, PrEP and PEP usage, and linking those living with HIV to care, we will make the epidemic a thing of the past. I am proud to stand alongside the Latino Commission on AIDS to advance this important effort.”

“While New York City has made great strides towards ending the epidemic, we continue to see HIV-related health inequities among many communities, including Latino New Yorkers,” said Dr. Oni Blackstock, Assistant Commissioner for the New York City Health Department’s Bureau of HIV. “National Latinx AIDS Awareness Day serves as an opportunity for the Health Department and our community partners to acknowledge and commit to dismantling the underlying racism and identity-based stigmas that drive these inequities.”

“National Latino AIDS Awareness Day serves as an important and powerful day to highlight how HIV and AIDS impacts the Latinx community. TransLatinx Network is committed to meeting the needs of the transgender and LGB community of New York, stated Christina Herrera, CEO and Founder of TransLatinx Network.

” We know today that people living with HIV who are on treatment and have an undetectable viral load cannot sexually transmit HIV,” stated Murray Penner, Executive Director, North America, of the Prevention Access Campaign. “This is known as ‘Undetectable equals Untransmittable,’ or ‘U=U.’ HIV stigma has destroyed so many lives and impeded our progress in ending new transmissions, particularly within Latinx communities. We are proud to partner with the Latino Commission on AIDS to highlight U=U as a solution to addressing longstanding HIV stigma and disparities, bringing hope and new possibilities to people living with HIV, and propelling us toward ending the HIV epidemic.”

“We’ve made tremendous progress in reducing HIV among all New Yorkers, for this I commend and congratulate my peers and colleagues. But unfortunately we cannot be satisfied. Among the Latinx community we have a lot more work to do, and much education to provide. Education not only to our community members but to funders, policy makers, and health departments. NLAAD offers us the time to pause, and recognize the need to invest more and be inclusive of the Latinx community to do the work needed in order to reduce the HIV numbers that other groups are achieving.” stated Nathaly Rubio-Torio, Executive Director of Voces Latinas.

“As this year’s theme states, whether we live with HIV or not, we all have a role in the fight against HIV”, stated Luis Mares, Director of Community Mobilization at the Latino Commission on AIDS. “NLAAD continues to advocate and encourage ways to reduce HIV related stigma, which continues to negatively impact the health and wellbeing of people living with HIV. We must promote HIV testing, prevention, retention on care and treatment, the basic tools we have to end this epidemic”

“We are working together to improve the health outcomes and address stigma and discrimination as a major barrier impacting our diverse communities. NLAAD is a national community driven campaign to promote awareness, prevention services, HIV testing, linkage and retention in care. The path toward ending the HIV epidemic together”-stated Guillermo Chacon, president Latino Commission on AIDS and founder of the Hispanic Health Network.

NLAAD continues to intensify efforts to address the new increases of HIV cases among young Gay men of color, Cis gender Latinas and Transgender Latinas. Stigma and health disparities in accessing health care and prevention services are some of the continued challenges that we must address consistently.