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AIDS kills blindly. It plagues every race, gender, age and religion. With approximately 14,000 new infections every day worldwide, 42 million people are now living with AIDS. An estimated 22 million have died of the disease since cases first appeared in the late ‘70s. Statistics indicate that U.S.-born Latinos account for a disproportionately large number of AIDS cases among the global population.

"I have seen AIDS evaporate complete generations of families, like it has mine," says Gina Torres, a 27-year-old Puerto Rican from the Bronx, NY. "I had no understanding of how it was spread...and I believe most of my community was ignorant to that as well." Though the magnitude of the virus was made apparent with the deaths of Latino stars like entertainer Hèctor Lavoe and actress/activist Ilka Tanya Payan in the ‘90s, there was an overall lack of urgency which stemmed from a lack of understanding. Over 78,000 Latinos have suffered AIDS-related deaths. Yet, a recent National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases survey found that only 11 percent of Latinos cited HIV/AIDS as the most urgent current health problem. Consequently, Latinos are more likely to be tested for HIV late in their illnesses and most probable to experience AIDS-defining conditions shortly after their diagnoses. "I first heard about the disease in 1989 when my uncle and his wife became infected," Torres shares. "They died within three months of finding out they were sick."

Delayed treatment is just one of the reasons why Latinos have high susceptibility to the virus. Increased rates of poverty, language barriers and lower levels of education make receiving and understanding the disease difficult. These obstacles coupled with inadequate healthcare contribute to Latinos having one of the highest rates of AIDS diagnoses in the nation, second only to blacks.

However all cannot be attributed to a faulty socioeconomic system. The cultural norms of the Latino community add to the predicament, affecting Latinas in particular. The AIDS rate of Latinas is five times that for white women. Seventy-five percent of new infections in women are heterosexually transmitted-and many of their cases stem from communal pressures. "Nobody wants to talk about it," offers Torres. "They're too ashamed." Traditional gender roles not only make discussion of sexual issues with male partners taboo for Latinas but studies also suggest that some refrain from discussing sexual precautions for fear of financial abandonment or abuse-even those who think their partners have been infected.

While women are urged to be silent and submissive, both straight and gay Latino men are almost culturally encouraged to engage in risky sexual behavior with multiple partners, unprotected, and/or by coercion. Mario de la Cruz, the associate director of the Young Men's Programs at Bronx AIDS Services reports: "Young men who have sex with men are showing staggering numbers in terms of new infection." Studies specify that they are not only amongst those more likely to report inconsistent condom use during anal sex with multiple partners, but they are also more likely to have never been tested for HIV. "People need to learn their status and get connected with care," de la Cruz adds. "We need to remove the stigma from getting tested and disclosing status."

Days of national recognition such as World AIDS Day (Dec. 1), National Latino AIDS Awareness Day (Oct. 15), and National HIV Testing Day (June 27) help bring attention to the crisis by encouraging openness. However, people are being reached too late. "We need to start before they become sexually active," Torres suggests in light of the fact that half of new infections in the U.S. occur in people 25 years of age or younger. "It needs to be drilled into them so it sticks with them throughout their lives."

Programs and initiatives such as the Latino Commission on AIDS, Reunion Latina and the National Latino/Hispanic AIDS Leadership Summit are answering this call. Specific agendas are being created to promote understanding and responsibility, and to confront the shame and discrimination associated with HIV/AIDS. Guillermo Chacon, the director of Reunion Latina, was quoted as saying, "The struggle to defeat AIDS requires passion, commitment, action, and leadership." De la Cruz agrees, and highlights the bottom line. "We are at a crucial point in this epidemic," she asserts. "Without a change in public policy and social commitment, just condoms and education are not enough." The clock is ticking. El tiempo de actuar es ahora.