Each year on October 15, we recognize National Latinx AIDS Awareness Day, a time to celebrate the resilience and strength of Hispanic and Latinx communities across New York State and to reaffirm our shared commitment to ending the HIV epidemic.

Hispanic and Latinx New Yorkers continue to be disproportionately affected by HIV. In 2023, they represented 37% (926 of 2,515) of all new HIV diagnoses in New York State, despite making up only 19% of the state’s population.

While new HIV diagnoses among Hispanic/Latinx New Yorkers have declined by 14.5% since 2015, the most recent data show a 12% increase from 2022 to 2023, continuing the rising trend of new diagnoses since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

Encouragingly, 81% of Hispanic/Latinx New Yorkers newly diagnosed with HIV in 2023 were linked to care within 30 days (compared to 79% among all new HIV diagnoses statewide) and 61% achieved viral suppression within three months compared to the statewide average of 58%.

These improvements highlight the positive impact of rapid linkage programs and community-driven HIV care models that help individuals access treatment and achieve viral suppression sooner.

The data demonstrate both progress and persistent disparities. Sustaining and expanding outreach, testing, and treatment initiatives that are linguistically and culturally tailored to Hispanic and Latinx communities are vital to achieving the goals of New York State’s Ending the Epidemic (ETE) initiative. Information for programs and services specifically geared towards Hispanic and Latinx persons can be found at https://www.latinoaids.org/.