United Press International - Thursday October 19, 2000

"Even though Africans-Americans and Latinos represent only 23 percent of the population, they account for 69 percent of the new HIV infections," Satcher told a conference on "AIDS and Communities of Color" at San Antonio's St. Mary's University.

He cited a new HIV infections annual report from July 1999 to June 2000.

Satcher said the incidence of AIDS and HIV among women, while still less than one third of total cases, has exploded since the early 90's, when women represented less than 10 percent of all HIV patients.

"Seventy-eight percent of the cases of AIDS among women today represent Black and Hispanic women," he said.

"Because deaths are going down, it's easy to think everything's okay, and AIDS is no longer a problem. That's not the case."

Satcher said technical and education assistance, as well as "culturally relevant" testing programs, are needed to combat "the new face of AIDS."

Rep. Ciro D. Rodriguez, chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Task Force on Health, agreed. The Texas Democrat cited the case of a Spanish-speaking woman who went in for AIDS testing and was reported "positive."

"In Spanish, 'positivo,' means 'OK,'" Rodriguez said. "So she went out and got pregnant and had a baby, who also turned out to have AIDS."

Satcher said the current prevalence of AIDS and HIV among poorer, less educated people will pose a new challenge to America's health services.

"When this was predominately a disease among gay, white men, there were big names among the patients, and many of these people were wealthy," Satcher said. "In terms of the ability to communicate, to get resources, and change behavior, that was a population that was much better able to do that than people who are poor, who are often addicted to drugs."

In recent years the disease has affected people who are poorer, who don't have the communication networks of the more wealthy, and that is why AIDS prevention programs are being changed to target those communities, he said.

Satcher said many of those diagnosed today, "often feel so down and out about their own lives and feel so negative about themselves. That population is not very careful about their behavior."

The surgeon general said he is worried that the movement of AIDS into "less visible" communities will result in a lack of needed funding.

"Because the epidemic is not impacting people of great stature, there is a danger that we will not give it the same attention," Satcher said.

Rodriguez said it is up to the Hispanic and Black communities to make sure that doesn't happen.

"We must take ownership of this problem," he said. "Because if it's not hitting your community today, it might be hitting it tomorrow."

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