It’s Hispanic Heritage Month, and on October 15th it’s the seventh National Latino AIDS Awareness Day  — an occasion that brings both attention to the disproportionate effect of HIV on American Latinos and renewed hope in the fight against AIDS.

From the Until There’s A Cure Foundation here are: several facts about HIV/AIDS among young Hispanics and Latinos in the United States:

• In 2006, Hispanic and Latino teens aged 13 to 19 accounted for 19% of new teen HIV infections in the United States, up from 17% in 2005.
• 23% of children under 13 living with HIV/AIDS are Hispanic or Latino.
• The rate of decline for Latino youth HIV infection has declined slower than the rate of infection among non-Latino white youth in the United States
• A variety of cultural and familial norms contribute to these higher rates of infection among Hispanic and Latino Americans.

It may be called National Latino AIDS Awareness Day, but we all need to keep AIDS in the forefront of our consciousness.