20 pct of Latinos with HIV don't know it

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ATLANTA, Oct. 15 (UPI) -- Approximately one in 50 Latinos in the United States can expect to be diagnosed with HIV in his or her lifetime, federal health officials said.

Among Latino men, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated 81 percent of infections occur among gay and bisexual men, with the largest number of new infections among gay and bisexual men age 30 and under compared to other age groups.

HIV infection rates among Latino men are almost three times higher than among white men, while HIV infection rates among Latinas are four times higher than among white women.

CDC recommends all adolescents and adults get tested for HIV, regardless of whether they think they are at risk.

"Getting an HIV test is one of the simplest and most effective things we all can do to take control of our health," Dr. Kevin A. Fenton, director of the National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in a statement. "Simply put, knowing your status -- and getting treated if you are infected -- can save your life. Today in the United States, about one in five Latinos infected with HIV doesn't know it. That's because more than half of Latinos have never been tested."