Alabama HIV Prevention Spotty for Latinos as Cases Rise
Earlier this week The Latino Commission on AIDS released a report stating HIV prevention initiatives targeting Latinos are infrequent in Alabama despite a rise in HIV/AIDS cases among Latinos in the state, The Birmingham News reports.
The number of HIV diagnoses among Latinos in Alabama remains small, but the numbers are rising. In 2007, 31 Latinos were diagnosed with HIV compared with 22 in 2005. The total number of diagnoses in the state in 2007 was 900, according to the organization’s report.
The report investigated HIV/AIDS rates and programs in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. It found that clinical services are available for people in Alabama who are HIV positive, but that a shortage of bilingual health care professionals is a problem.
“Every culture has different barriers and different things that appeal to them and different things they find innovative,” said Tykeysha Boone, director of education for AIDS Alabama in Birmingham. “That’s probably what the issue is right now, trying to figure out what is the most innovative approach.”
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