May 15, 2001 (Qbueno.com) - In a press conference, leaders of the public and private sector disclosed a report according to which the Latins make up 31 percent of all the cases that have been registered in New York, in spite of the fact that they represent a total of 12 percent of the population. According to the report, the most common way of getting infected with HIV or AIDS among the Latins in New York has been by using injected drugs, now that 55 percent of the cases are related to the use of shared needles.
Equally, the report highlights that the Puerto Ricans constitute the most affected group among the Latins and that AIDS is one of the main causes of death in this group. "This virus has been practically a genocide in the Puerto Rican community. This is attributed to the lack of treatment that exist against drug use and programs to reduce drug abuse", emphasizes the report.
When presenting the report, the community leaders said that the objective is to create a common working calendar to respond to this public health crisis that is happening in the state. Also, they exhorted the politicians in all different parts of the government and diverse foundations so that more resources are dedicated on education and prevention campaigns against AIDS in the Latin community of the state.
According to statistics from the AIDS Surveillance System in this city, the Latin youngsters that are between the ages of 13 and 24 make up 40 percent of the 3.073 cases that have been diagnosed so far in the Big Apple. At a national level, there is a proportion of 41 Latins that are infected with AIDS for every 100,000 inhabitants.
The report highlights that the immigrants infected with HIV have less access to housing, nutrition, and welfare services. This situation has increased among illegal aliens, although due to their legal status it is not known how many are affected in total. "We are going to work together so the local, state, and federal funds respond to the infection, which is something that is not happening in our community", said the council representative, Margarita Lopez.
"But that it is not the only problem, here we have to begin to face the problem and question the behavior of those people in our communities and those that have drug problems. This has all got to stop", López added who asked for the collaboration from school authorities so that they can educate the youngsters on this problem.
