A startling increase in HIV infections among Latinos in the United States has raised alarm bells among health experts. While overall HIV infection rates have declined nationally, new data reveals a troubling 12% rise in infections among Latino people from 2010 to 2022, according to a perspective piece published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Dr. Vincent Guilamo-Ramos and colleagues from the Institute for Policy Solutions at Johns Hopkins School of Nursing report that Latinos now account for one in three new HIV infections, up from one in four in 2010. This surge stands in stark contrast to the 29% decrease in infections among Black people and 25% decrease among white people during the same period.
Particularly concerning is the 95% increase in infections among Latino men who have sex with men (MSM) aged 25 to 34 since 2010, with a alarming 15% jump in a single year. For the first time, new HIV infections in Latino MSM have surpassed all other racial and ethnic groups.
The authors argue that this crisis has remained largely invisible, overshadowed by overall progress in HIV prevention. They cite persistent failures in HIV-prevention and treatment systems, along with social, economic, and political factors affecting underserved Latino communities.
Experts call for urgent action, including equitable resource allocation and building a Latino-specialized healthcare workforce. They emphasize the need for culturally competent care and linguistic skills to address the unique needs of the Latino population.
Without immediate attention and targeted interventions, the authors warn that this growing crisis threatens to undermine national goals for ending the HIV epidemic in the United States.
See “Experts Highlight Alarming Jump in HIV Infections Among Latinos” (October 11, 2024)
