Brownsville, a city in the Rio Grande Valley, Texas, faces the problem of an increasing prevalence of HIV. Despite the 5% decrease in confirmed HIV diagnoses in the U.S. from 2011 to 2015, diagnoses among Latino racial minorities are actually on the rise: 7% to 13,4% (VICE 02:27–02:32).
The Latino population in the Rio Grande Valley, and Brownsville specifically, represents a significant proportion compared to the overall population. In this context, the fact that 85% of total HIV contractors in the Rio Grande Valley are Hispanic raises concerns about the effectiveness of current HIV prevention methods employed there (VICE 02:39). Apart from that, the majority of new cases are male, identifying HIV proliferation as a problem particularly dangerous for the Latinx community in Brownsville.
Because HIV causes a gradual decline in the immune system, prompt identification and adherence to treatment are essential for preventing progression to the last stage of AIDS and any subsequent problems. However, there are several issues that create artificial barriers to healthcare service delivery. The first issue that prevents proper treatment of HIV infection is racial and regional inequalities in healthcare access. Given the Rio Grande Valley’s poor socioeconomic condition and the absence of proper education on the topic, providing adequate care to those in need proves extremely challenging (VICE 04:20–04:34). Another issue is the stigma prevalent among the majority of the population in terms of equating affiliation with Latinos with having HIV.
Since religion plays a great part in the lives of the Hispanic population, it proves genuinely difficult to dissuade bias and prejudice (VICE 09:40–09:50). Therefore, in order to prevent HIV proliferation at current rates, there is a need to comprehensively address health illiteracy and service access in the region, in addition to increasing overall population awareness of the issue.
Work Cited
“HIV Crisis on the Texas-Mexico Border.” YouTube, uploaded by VICE. 2018. Web.