Missing the HIV message (American Public Health Assn. annual meeting)

After decades, efforts toward AIDS prevention may seem tired and worn. But people are still getting sick, as new at-risk populations are being identified.

By Susan J. Landers, AMNews staff. Dec. 17, 2007.

Washington -- Although the HIV/AIDS epidemic is decades old and preventive measures have been widely promoted, another 40,000 people become infected each year. And, despite considerable progress in reducing the disease's impact among populations hardest hit initially -- gay men and intravenous drug users -- other populations, especially racial and ethnic minorities, continue to bear a disproportionate burden, according to a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

That's why researchers are crafting prevention messages to reach these vulnerable people. Several presenters at the American Public Health Assn.'s 135th annual meeting, held Nov. 3-7 in Washington, D.C., provided examples of effective programs.

Some researchers zeroed in on young minority students at colleges and universities, a group not traditionally thought of as at high risk for contracting the AIDS virus.

Young, female, Hispanic college students were the focus of research done at Florida International University in Miami. Hispanic women ages 16 to 24 are one of the fastest-growing groups for getting HIV infection, said Robert Malow, PhD, professor of public health and director of FIU's AIDS Prevention Project.

These women, who may have been born in Latin American nations such as Cuba, Panama, Honduras, Guatemala and Columbia, are often caught in a cultural crunch. While focusing on the importance of remaining virgins for marriage, they are also intent upon not chasing men away. They may practice oral and anal sex in order to maintain their virginity, but are unaware of the HIV risks those options involve, he said.