Thirty years after the first published AIDS cases, it has become clear that HIV disproportionately affects Latinos.

In 2009, even though Latinos were only 16 percent of the U.S. population, in about 40 states they represented 19 percent of people with HIV and 21 percent of people with AIDS.

Get tested for HIV to help stop the spread of the virus in our community. Do it now or join the thousands of other Latinos getting tested on National Latino AIDS Awareness Day (NLAAD) on October 15, the last day of Hispanic Heritage Month, which starts on September 15.

Latinos are the last to be tested for HIV and the first to develop or die from AIDS. Getting tested for HIV earlier—and, if you test HIV positive, getting treatment earlier—can reverse this statistic.

Go to nlaad.org to find an NLAAD event near you, and go to poz.com to learn more about the virus.