October 15 is National Latino AIDS Awareness Day (NLAAD), a community mobilization that since 2003 has promoted effective ways to prevent, treat, and stop the spread of HIV among Latinos.

This year’s focus is to promote HIV testing. An estimated 170,000 people in the United States are living with HIV and unaware of their status. This gap in diagnosis delays access to life-saving treatment and increases the risk of unknowingly transmitting the virus. With this in mind, NLAAD’s theme for this year is “Should I get tested for HIV? Yes!”