Latest CDC Report on HIV Incidence Grossly Excludes Hispanics in 2006, the Fastest Growing Ethnic Population in the United States and its Territories

MEXICO CITY, Aug. 4 In an apparent reversal ofCDC's January 2008 decision to revise the number of new Hispanic HIV/AIDSdiagnoses based on the inclusion of Puerto Ricans as Hispanics, the latest CDCreport released in August 2008, entitled "Estimation of HIV Incidence in theUnited States", again failed to include Puerto Ricans in the AIDS incidenceamong Hispanics, thereby grossly undercounting the diagnosis rates amongHispanics. This conscious undercounting has a direct impact on the allocationof funding and resources brought to bear on the HIV/AIDS epidemic in theHispanic community, as well as creating confusion regarding the success orfailure of prevention efforts.

CDC's January 2008 decision to revise the number of new Hispanic HIV/AIDSdiagnoses to include Puerto Rican Hispanics diagnosed with AIDS in 2006,dramatically raised the total HIV/AIDS diagnoses rates for Hispanics from17.3% to 22%, demonstrating, for the first time, that Puerto Rico aloneaccounted for 20% of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in 2006 among Hispanics in thecountry. This decision was a strong step forward in reflecting the numbers ofLatinos impacted.

"The decision to exclude Puerto Ricans from the Hispanic incidenceanalysis is perplexing. The CDC made a positive step forward in its originaldecision to include Hispanics, but has subsequently taken two steps back byagain excluding Puerto Ricans from the Hispanic incidence rates. We willnever have accurate estimate of HIV incidence in the Hispanic community ifthis discrimination continues", said Dennis deLeon, President of the LatinoCommission on AIDS.

"We call on everyone to mobilize, demand respect, and call for recognitionfrom CDC of the health crisis that HIV/AIDS represents in our Latino\Hispaniccommunities in the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands",stated Guillermo Chacon, Vice President of the Latino Commission on AIDS. "Wewill not allow our experience of the epidemic to be invisible. Our healthcrisis is real. We want an accurate picture of the impact of HIV/AIDS now,"concludes Chacon.

Dennis de Leon & Guillermo Chacon will be available to the media during the

International AIDS Conference, August 1st thru the 8th, 2008

ABOUT THE LATINO COMMISSION ON AIDS

The Latino Commission on AIDS is a nonprofit membership organizationfounded in 1990 dedicated to fighting the spread of HIV/AIDS in theLatino/Hispanic communities. The Commission is the leading national LatinoAIDS organization coordinating National Latino AIDS Awareness Day and otherprevention and advocacy programs in more than 40 States, Puerto Rico and theU.S. Virgin Islands. For more information visit: www.latinoaids.org orwww.nlaad.org. UNIDOS PODEMOS / UNITED WE CAN

SOURCE Latino Commission on AIDS

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