The United States’ Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE) initiative is overlooking Latino gay and bisexual men, according to an analysis published in JAMA Health Network.

 

President Trump launched the national EHE plan in 2019 during his first term. EHE aims to lower new HIV rates by 90% by 2030—which would amount to fewer than 3,000 new cases a year—via targeted prevention and treatment to the regions and populations most affected by HIV, notably the 57 key states, counties and cities (jurisdictions) that together account for 50% of new HIV cases.

 

While new HIV diagnoses are dropping among most population groups, including white gay and bisexual men, Latino gay and bisexual men continue to experience higher rates of HIV as well as limited access to health care treatment and prevention tools such as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).

 

Experts at the Boston University School of Public Health and the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, led by first author of the study Jahn Jaramillo, MPH, analyzed EHE plans to examine how Latino gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men are represented as the EHE initiative enters its final phase from 2026 to 2030.

 

Latinos in the United States are a diverse group that includes people of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, Central American and South American origin. Collectively, Latino communities have been hit hard by the HIV epidemic.

 

While they make up about 19% of the U.S. population, Latinos accounted for 31% of all new HIV cases in 2022, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

 

Overall, the analysis found that most EHE plans did not specifically measure progress in HIV prevention for Latino gay and bisexual men but rather incorporated the information into measures of broader demographics.

 

The analysis showed that only 19 of the 57 prioritized jurisdictions specifically identified the needs of Latino men living with or at risk for HIV. What’s more, only 22 plans highlighted barriers to HIV prevention or treatment impacting this population.

 

“Latino sexual minority men are disproportionately affected by adverse HIV prevention and care outcomes because of social, structural and behavioral factors that increase their vulnerability. But they are not a monolithic group,” said study co–corresponding author Carlos Rodriguez-Diaz, PhD, chair and professor of community health sciences at Boston University, in a press release about the study. “For example, research shows that Mexican-born men in Chicago often delay HIV care due to significant pre- and post-migration concerns, including poverty and social stigma, and lack of access to health care. But Central American Latino immigrant sexual minority men have low HIV testing rates due to low HIV awareness, experiences of violence and chronic stress.”

 

To reach national EHE goals, improvements must be made to better track and address specific HIV prevention needs, cultural barriers and other factors that impact Latinos. Researchers also highlight the importance of access to local, culturally competent EHE policies and resources.

 

“Community leadership is fundamental, considering the actions of the current federal government to limit or erase access to essential data to address the HIV epidemic,” Rodriguez-Diaz said. “Community engagement ensures the relevance, success and sustainability of public health efforts aimed at improving HIV outcomes. It is the only way to end the HIV epidemic.”

 

But given the current battles over federal budgets and the Trump administration’s plan to gut most health care funding, whether the Ending the HIV Epidemic initiative will even exist in the upcoming year is an open question.

 

In related news, October 15 marked National Latinx AIDS Awareness Day 2025. This year’s theme is “Should I get tested for HIV? Yes!” In addition to promoting HIV testing, the campaign offers insights about HIV transmission and healthy sexual relationships.

 

Launched in 2003 and spearheaded by the Latino Commission on AIDS (LCOA) and the Hispanic Federation, the awareness day draws attention to the HIV epidemic among Latinos, who experienced a 24% increase in HIV cases from 2010 to 2022 compared with a 12% decrease in HIV rates overall during the same period.

 

To read more, click #Latino, #Federal Funding and #Ending the Epidemic. There, you’ll see headlines such as “Cuts Kill!—Kill the Cuts!,” “How the TransLatin@ Coalition Fights for Housing Justice” and “What if Folks With HIV Could Earn $2,000 a Year for Taking Their Meds?”