Dennis De Leon: Changing the Course on Our Own

Dennis De Leon, an HIV+ member of the Latino community speaks out about the HIV/AIDS rate amongst Hispanics/Latinos in New York City. In Metro New York Newspaper De Leon states, "...HIV/AIDS has disproportionately affected Hispanic/Latino communities. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Latinos comprise approximately 14 percent of the U.S. population, and yet the CDC estimates that nearly 20 percent of the 1.1 million people living with HIV/AIDS are Hispanic/Latino."

De Leon blames obvious but overlooked factors like limited access to testing, prevention education and care, cultural and language barries and immigration status as to why the numbers are as high as they are. In fact, 28% of the 94,000 people living with HIV/AIDS in New York are Latino/Hispanic. He goes further urging people to go out and get tested because people who do not know their HIV status are spreading the virus without knowing they're doing so.