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CAPAC Marks National Asian & Pacific Islander HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

May 18, 2012

WASHINGTON, DC – Tomorrow, May 19th, is National Asian and Pacific Islander HIV/AIDS Awareness Day.  Within the AAPI community, the tragic impact of HIV/AIDS is compounded by a strong cultural stigma of shame or disgrace for the individual, family and even community.  This deters many AAPIs from getting tested, which only further intensifies the health threat within the community.  To mark API HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, Congresswoman Judy Chu (CA-32), Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), and Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-09), Chair of CAPAC’s Healthcare Taskforce, released the following statements:

Congresswoman Judy Chu (CA-32), CAPAC Chair:  “The threat of HIV/AIDS is real for Americans of all backgrounds, but in the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community it has developed into an even greater social challenge. Within our community, being HIV positive can lead to the loss of employment, social isolation and even being disowned by one’s family. The fact that HIV/AIDS rates are diminishing in every other racial group but increasing among AAPIs is proof that we need an active awareness campaign to overcome the stigma attached to this disease.  On this API HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, let’s come together to overcome this threat to our health and our community.  I urge everyone to know their status – get tested!”

Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-09), CAPAC Healthcare Taskforce Chair:  “As we observe the National Asian & Pacific Islander HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, we must redouble our efforts to prevent the spread of this disease.  The rate of AIDS diagnosis among Asians and Pacific Islanders continues to rise steadily.  The AAPI community is subject to risk factors and barriers to prevention that make it essential for aggressive testing and education within the community.  Sexual risk factors, substance use, low HIV testing rates, and limited use of services provide challenges to meeting the needs of this culturally and socioeconomically diverse population.  As Chair of the Health Care Task Force for CAPAC and co-chair of the Congressional HIV/AIDS Caucus, I encourage everyone to get tested and know their status.”    

Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders were the only ethnic groups with a statistically significant increase in new HIV diagnoses (4.4 percent) between 2001 and 2008.  Despite these increasing rates of infection, AAPIs continue to have the lowest rates of accessing HIV testing (30.5 percent).  The CDC estimates that 1 in 3 Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders living with HIV/AIDS are unaware they are infected.

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The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) is comprised of Members of Congress of Asian and Pacific Islander descent and members who have a strong dedication to promoting the well-being of the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. Currently chaired by Congresswoman Judy Chu, CAPAC has been addressing the needs of the AAPI community in all areas of American life since it was founded in 1994.