I recently joined in on a Twitter chat with U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Social Lens Research, and Latinos in Tech Innovation and Social Media (LATISM), and I was so proud to be a part of this conversation. You see this is #oneconversation that needs to be had. We talked about HIV. In the past HIV and Aids have been very taboo in the Latino community. I can remember growing up as a child, we didn’t talk about special needs, disabilities, sex; never mind HIV. All I knew about the disease was what I learned from text books and television. We did not talk about HIV.
Now that I am a mom, it’s a conversation that we will have multiple times with our children. It’s one conversation that needs to be had. I cannot say that enough. No one is immune, we are all at risk if we allow ourselves to be.
Fast forward a few years and check out these statistics from the CDC: “Although representing 17% of the total US population, Hispanic/Latinos account for 21% of the estimated 1.2 million people living with HIV in the United States and 23% of new diagnoses of HIV infection.” Might not seem like much, but the number will continue to grow if we continue to not talk about it.
How about theses statistics:
- More than 250,000 Latinos in the United States are living with HIV.
- In 2013, 23% of new diagnoses of HIV infections in the United States occurred among Hispanics/Latinos.
- Although representing 17% of the total US population, Hispanic/Latinos account for 21% of the 1.2 million people living with HIV in the United States and 23% of people of new HIV diagnoses.
More Latinos are being infected and all I can come up with is that maybe we didn’t talk about it enough. Now that I’m a parent, I see the need to talk about it. I did not have multiple partners before getting married so I knew my chances were slim of being infected. Every time I was pregnant I was tested and each time it was negative. But how about that mother that finds out she’s not only pregnant but also carrying HIV? We’ve got to start talking about it!
To talk about it is to know and to know is to be better informed to make better decisions. There’s no shame in talking about HIV.
From Our Sponsor:
Sin Vergüenza (Without Shame) Telenovela:
One Conversation at a Time is collaborating with Los Angeles-based AltaMed Healthcare Services to help promote Sin Vergüenza as a way to encourage Hispanic/Latino families and friends to have meaningful conversations about HIV. This exciting, entertaining, and suspenseful telenovela web series, produced by AltaMed Healthcare Services, takes viewers into the lives of a dynamic Mexican-American family coping with issues around HIV and sexual health. Each family member represents a different age group, sexual orientation, and marital status and faces unique challenges. Each person is also at risk of getting HIV. Sin Vergüenza addresses difficult issues that many Hispanic/Latino families face including stigma, infidelity, shame, sexuality and aging, condom use, dating and lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender/queer (LGBTQ) relationships and sexuality. Yet, it also portrays the unconditional love and support of family – even in the face of unexpected challenges.
Watch the first episode of Sin Vergüenza. After you watch it, talk about it with your friends and family and encourage them to watch it. View all four episodes by clicking here.
Such an important topic and must have conversation. I was introduced to HIV when my uncle was diagnosed. It’s terrifying but education is the only way to protect ourselves. I’ll be talking to my daughter about HIV when the time comes.
Wow Heather, thank you for sharing! Yes, we must talk about it.
To me HIV education is important because as a child I had an uncle die from AIDS and we were educated about it very early and I feel that it is important for everyone to be educated. So that hopefully HIV can go away or we can find a cure.
Thanks for sharing Sharon! It is so important that our children be educated. Yes, we need to find a cure!
There is definitely a stigma associated with HIV. I only ever heard stories about gay men being affected; never that it could happen to just about anyone. Great strides have been made in awareness but everything stays at home.
Thanks for your comment Alicia! We must continue to educate everyone, especially our children.
Hi Candy,
I’m really glad that we are starting to talk about this subject, it’s not easy but it is super important.
Thank you for sharing it with us.
Hi Linda! I agree, not an easy topic, but a necessary one. Thanks for your comment.
The statistics are upsetting. Let’s have the conversation and work on prevention. No excuses
Yes!! We have to inform our children too. They must grow being educated in risks and specially prevention.
So many taboos associated with this topic of HIV, among us Latinos. We definitely need to talk more about it to save lives.
Yes we do Myrah! Glad we are getting the conversation started.