AIDS Prevention in Latinas
by Valarie Edwards

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The latest figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that although Latinos make up only 14 percent of the U.S. population, they account for 20 percent of all new HIV infection cases. One program in northeast Georgia is trying to make a difference by teaching Latinas how to protect themselves and prevent AIDS infection.

Statistics show that Latinas who are infected with HIV had only one sexual partner. Tradition, however, often prevents Latinas from talking openly about sex. And that, according to Veronica Stowe, outreach coordinator for the North Georgia AIDS Alliance, can be deadly.

"In our community, if I have an infection, it's my fault. So we never blame our husbands or partners. We blame ourselves."

So tonight a group of Latinas are gathering over a meal of pork tacos and pina coladas to learn more about HIV. Some of the women are married, some are single. All are mothers. With scattered balloons and gift bags around the room, the meeting seems more like a cosmetics party than a serious gathering about health.

The women ask questions about HIV, how to prevent prevention, and they see a movie about AIDS in Spanish. They learn about the effectiveness of condoms and the dangers of having unprotected sex. And they learn that they shouldn't rely only on their partners to practice safe sex.

Programs like this one aim to break the stigma of AIDS in the Latino community and to reduce its prevalence. AIDS is now ranked as the third leading cause of death in Latinas in their twenties and thirties.