Apicha Community Health Center

Recent analyses reported in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) show that among all racial groups in the U.S., Asians and Pacific Islanders (APIs) had the only statistically significant increases in HIV/AIDS diagnosis rates in the most recent four-year period. Yet this fact is not noted in the discussion or editorial notes in the MMWR issue where this information is reported. Because HIV rates in API communities are still relatively low, we have a critical opportunity to develop effective prevention programs for API American communities before these alarming indicators translate into markedly higher HIV prevalence in API communities in the U.S., as has occurred in other U.S. communities and in the Asia/Pacific region.