HIV/AIDS Ministry To Latinos Garners CDC Support – Georgia From: georgiabulletin.org

Connecting metro Atlanta’s Latinos to HIV/AIDS services and ministries is one of the challenges Miranda faces every day in her job. It’s also the challenge she brought up during a national consultation with the Centers for Disease Control earlier this month. Miranda participated in the two-day meeting “HIV/AIDS Prevention Among Hispanic/Latino Communities: A Consultation with Leaders from the Latino Community.” CDC officials asked Miranda and others for their input on how to improve outreach and prevention efforts in the Latino communities to help turn the tide and reduce new infections. Miranda was more than happy to oblige with a response.

“In the South, especially in rural areas, you see a mirror of what we saw (with AIDS) in the 1980s,” Miranda said. Although the numbers are not the same, the rapid spread and ignorance of the disease is similar to that period, she explained.

“It’s what I’m calling the second wave of AIDS. Outside of metro Atlanta, you’ll find large Hispanic populations. These people are already marginalized. How do you get people to know their (HIV) status, and link them to healthcare?””*

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