HIV/AIDS

The extent of HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) infection and the devastating disease that it causes, AIDS (acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome), remains a critical public health problem for the United States.

While new and complicated drug regimens have decreased the mortality rate due to this disease, infection rates in the United States have not declined further, and in fact are increasing in certain minority populations.

Latinos in particular continue to be affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic, accounting for a greater proportion of AIDS cases than their representation in the U.S. population overall, and the second highest AIDS case rate in the nation, by race/ethnicity.

The epidemic has had a disproportionate impact on Latinas and young adults, and the impact of HIV/AIDS among Latinos varies across the country and by place of birth.

In the US, over 750,000 people are infected with HIV and it is estimated that perhaps as many as another 250,000 may be infected, but remain unaware of their infection. Of that number, approximately 200,000 are estimated to be Latino. Most troubling, over 10 percent of the newly infected people are children under the age of 15.

HIV/AIDS is a worldwide pandemic and complacency in combating this disease cannot be accepted. We are perpetually made aware of new treatments of increasing complexity, and new scientific theories concerning the virus are always being advanced.

It is extremely important for the practicing physician to understand where we are going with this disease as it is one that is perpetually in the public eye. However, keeping up with this information is extremely difficult.

La Salud Hispana Medical Communications Group working closely with the pharmaceutical industry, physicians, inner city clinics and government agencies is fully committed to continue bringing to the forefront updates of the latest HIV information, with the most important aspects of HIV infection, transmission, and treatment.