The Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is a serious condition caused by infection with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). HIV attacks critical immune cells that would normally fight off disease. As a result, HIV infected individuals have a weakened immune system, are more prone to bacterial/viral infections and cancers than uninfected individuals, and subsequently develop AIDS. As of yet, there is not cure for HIV/AIDS. However, drug treatments are becoming increasingly effective in delaying or alleviating AIDS symptoms.

The HIV/AIDS epidemic had impacted 40 million people worldwide, as of the end of 2001. The most affected regions were Sub-Saharan Africa (28.5 million), South/Southeast Asia (5.6 million) and Central/South America (1.5 million). Latinos in the US comprised 20% of the 950,000 HIV/AIDS reported cases in the United States and 43% of cases among all Latin@s in the Americas. AIDS is one of the 4 leading causes of death among Latin@s between 25 and 44 years of age. The majority of the cases in the United States concentrate in five large metropolitan areas -- New York, San Juan, Los Angeles, Miami and Houston.

The length of time between HIV infection and development of AIDS varies among individuals. In fact, AIDS symptoms could appear 7 to 10 years after infection. Many factors, like drug treatment and general health care, play a crucial role in delaying AIDS onset. In terms of accessing HIV health care, Latin@s are more likely to enter the system at later stages of their disease. Access to appropriate health care is hindered by funding, stigma, racial discrimination, prejudice, fear of deportation, cultural and language barriers, lack of interpretation services and lack of knowledge about rights. Consequently, Latino HIV infected patients tend to develop AIDS earlier than other patients.

Anyone can transmit or be infected with HIV/AIDS by practicing unsafe sex, by blood-to-blood contact, or by sharing needles. Mother to child transmission, blood transfusion and transplants are other less common ways of transmission (the last two do not happen in the US anymore). Ways in which HIV cannot be spread include: touching toilet seats, mosquito bites, sneezing, tears, food, or shaking hands/hugging an infected person. The Latino population in general is at great risk of HIV infection due to poverty and high rates of injection drug use. Moreover, Latina women are at great risk of infection due to opposition to condom use by the Catholic Church, Latino male attitudes towards condoms, women’s sex roles (social expectation that the women should play the submissive role in a sexual relationship), and the misconception of women being at a lower risk for infection than men.

Barriers to prevention among Latin@s include: reluctance to get HIV tested, fear of stigmatization, lack of HIV information, and cultural predispositions concerning diseases. On the bright side, Latin@s are recognizing the dangers posed by irresponsible behaviors that may lead to HIV infection. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, 40% of Latin@s viewed HIV/AIDS as the most pressing health problem facing our nation today, in contrast to whites (23%). However, misconceptions about HIV transmission are higher among Latin@s than among whites – 37% of Latin@s stated that kissing could transmit HIV.

The HIV/AIDS epidemic is especially alarming among college students. According to the National Center for Disease Control and Prevention, one out of every 500 college students is infected with HIV -- 90% of infected students not knowing that they are infected. Lack of education about modes of HIV transmission, HIV testing and AIDS drug treatments lay at the root of the problem. OSU’s Student Wellness Center has taken a stand against HIV spread by providing HIV education and an anonymous HIV test, which for $5.00 is accessible to all students. Yet, there is a great need to develop literature specifically designed to meet the needs of Latin@s, addressing factors like cultural pride and cultural differences. In this way, not only will we prevent HIV infection, but also improve the quality of life for the people living with AIDS, marginalized from society.

Wellness Center:

Wilce Student Health Center,1875 Millikin Road, 292-4527Alcohol/drug abuse prevention, smoking cessation, sexual health counseling, personal health risk assessments, financial counseling, support groups.

Website: http://swc.osu.edu/