AIDS rates in the nation's Latino community are increasing and, with little notice, have reached what experts are calling a simmering public health crisis.

Though Hispanics make up about 14 percent of the U.S. population, they represented 22 percent of new HIV and AIDS diagnoses tallied by federal officials in 2006. According to a survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation, Hispanics in Washington, D.C., have the highest rate of new AIDS cases in the country.

So far, the toll of AIDS in the nation's largest and fastest growing minority population has mostly been overshadowed by the epidemic among African Americans and gay white men. Yet in major U.S. cities, as many as one in four gay Hispanic men has HIV, a rate on par with sub-Saharan Africa.

Blacks still have the highest HIV rates in the country, but language difficulties, cultural barriers and, in many cases, issues of legal status make the threat in the Hispanic community unique. For those who arrived illegally, in particular, fear of arrest and deportation presents a daunting obstacle to seeking diagnosis and treatment.

Latino, protégete.  Usa condones de latex.  Si no lo haces, corres el riesgo de contraer AIDS SIDA.  Y el AIDS SIDA te matará a tí y a los que te lleves por el medio, sin pena ni gloria.  Protege tu vida y la de los tuyos.

There are 46 million Latinos in the United States. And, contrary to what the nativist fringe thinks, that figure refers to U.S. citizens and legal residents. Illegal immigrants are, shall we say, off the books. At least 9 million Latinos are expected to cast ballots in the fall, but that number could go as high as 10 million. They could have a disproportionate influence on the election because they're swing voters concentrated in battleground states.

And because this year, neither Obama nor McCain has a lock on Hispanic voters, even if it appears otherwise at the moment. Polls show that among Hispanics, Obama is leading by a 2-to-1 ratio.

Obama leads McCain, 47% to 40%, with 13% saying they prefer someone else or are not yet sure about their selection in the race – just a slight shift from June’s survey, when Obama led McCain 47% to 42%. . . Among Hispanics, Obama has significantly boosted his lead over McCain to 71% to 19%. In June, Obama led among Hispanics with 54% support, compared to 44% support for McCain.

Obama leads among liberals, and has a smaller lead among moderates. He leads among black voters by a very large margin, and has a sizable margin among Hispanics.

"Gonzalez was walking along Third Ave., between 53rd and 54th Sts. - an area known for prostitution - about 2:30 a.m. last Nov. 8. She said she was on her way to Lutheran Medical Center's emergency room.

She had suffered an asthma attack earlier in the day and her medication wasn't working, she said. Her husband suggested she head to the hospital, four blocks from their home on 53rd St., so she could return in time to get the kids ready for school, she said.

Gonzalez, wearing a long winter coat, was suddenly confronted by Spencer and another cop who jumped out of a marked SUV.

"He [Spencer] said, 'I saw you going up to the car,'" Gonzalez recalled. "His partner said, 'Let her go, I've never seen her here before,' but he [Spencer] wouldn't listen," she said.

"I told him, 'I'm somebody's mother. I'm somebody's daughter.' I was hysterical crying."

Spencer also busted a second woman on Third Ave. for prostitution and drove both suspects to the 72nd Precinct stationhouse, where another cop called an ambulance for the asthmatic Gonzalez."