Michigan will recognize Oct. 15 as the sixth annual National Latino AIDS Awareness Day (NLAAD) in Michigan. The national theme for this year's Latino AIDS Awareness Day is "United We Can: HIV/AIDS Stops Here. Prevention Starts With Us. Unidos Podemos: Detengamos Al VIH/SIDA. La Prevencion Empieza Con Nosotros." National Latino AIDS Awareness Day is observed on the final day of Hispanic Heritage Month.

The HIV/AIDS epidemic has had a disproportionate impact on Latinos. MDCH estimates as of Oct. 1 that 553 Latinos live with HIV/AIDS in Michigan. While this number may seem relatively small, it is spread out among a small population. The prevalence rate for Latinos is 141 per 100,000 compared to 62 per 100,000 for whites.

"The early detection of HIV is vital in our fight against this disease," said Jean Chabut, deputy director of the Public Health Administration, Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH). "Prevention comes in many forms, and through our work in the Latino communities, we can make a difference."

"Each year on National Latino AIDS Awareness Day, we reaffirm our commitment to improve the health and well-being of Michigan's Latino communities, and to ensure that prevention and care are culturally and linguistically appropriate," said Amna Osman, director of the Division of Health, Wellness, and Disease Control. "The Latino community continues to face challenging issues in their fight against HIV/AIDS."

Activities planned encourage those at risk to get tested, and include bi-lingual HIV counseling and testing; distribution of bi-lingual HIV prevention materials; display tables; community health fairs; and state and local proclamations.

Michigan residents who want to join the Latino AIDS Awareness campaign can get additional ideas on what to do in their community from the National Latino AIDS Awareness Day website at http://www.nlaad.org. For more information regarding Michigan NLAAD events, please contact Ligia Romero at (517) 394-3719 ext. 17 or the HIV/AIDS hotline at 1-800-872-AIDS.