Clusters of HIV Transmissions Crop Up Among Young Gay Latinos
More young gay Latino men in Texas are testing positive for HIV in what are known as clusters, meaning that the viruses are genetically similar and the transmissions are linked, reports Texas Public Radio (TPR).
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identified 16 clusters in Texas, with six of them in San Antonio. One of those is called Cluster 51 and includes 27 confirmed cases of viruses that are definitely related, Barbara Taylor, MD, an infectious disease specialist at UT Health San Antonio, told TPR.
Identifying transmission clusters is important because it helps health care workers to better prevent future transmissions and to test and treat those at high risk.
Young Latino men, TPR reports, face more stigma (and HIV risk) for many reasons: They’re a minority (Latino, gay and, in some cases, HIV positive), and their culture is often steeped in religion and machismo.
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