AAALI: How the International AIDS Conference Impacts You

NHCOA is one of three national Hispanic/Latino partners of the CDC’s Act Against AIDS Leadership Initiative (AAALI), a multi-year national communication initiative to reduce the incidence of HIV/AIDS among diverse communities. To learn how you can get act against AIDS, please visit www.actagainstaids.org or www.nhcoa.org.

By María Eugenia Hernández-Lane, NHCOA VP

As the United States and the world prepare to shine a bright light on Washington, DC as it kicks off the XIX Annual International Conference on AIDS, many might think this global gathering doesn’t affect them or their everyday life. How could this event have an impact on a grandmother, grandfather, or a family caregiver? More than you might think.

One of out of five people living with HIV/AIDS in the United States is unaware of his/her status. If you are from a diverse community, that chance of being infected increases substantially, especially among aging populations.

Nationally, new AIDS cases are rising faster among middle-aged and older adults than those under 40. In the Latino community, the increase is more evident: the rates of HIV/AIDS among people ages 50 and over were five times higher among Hispanics compared to non-Hispanic Whites.

That is why NHCOA, one of three Hispanic/Latino partners of the Act Against AIDS Leadership Initiative, has joined forces with the Latino Commission on AIDS, AID FOR AIDS International, the DC Mayor’s Office on Latino Affairs, the National Hispanic Medical Association, and La Clínica del Pueblo to jointly raise a message of unity within the Latino community in advance of the International AIDS Conference.

When we are uninformed or misinformed about an issue as important as HIV/AIDS we are automatically at a disadvantage in terms of protecting our health and that of our families and loved ones. That is why we need to act against AIDS.

As a part of the Act Against AIDS Leadership Initiative, NHCOA stands alongside other Latino and Hispanic organizations to encourage our community to talk HIV, to get tested for HIV, and to inform others by spreading the word.

The International AIDS Conference is around the corner, so let’s use this global event to talk HIV around the kitchen table, while watching TV or visiting with loved ones.