Plagues,
Pestilences and Diseases
US: HIV/AIDS infection rates increasing rapidly among young,
gay black men
CNN
The number of new HIV/AIDS infections in the United States shows
the largest increases were among bisexual men and men who have sex
with men (MSM). Of that group, young, black men had what the
agency called "alarming increases."
"More than 30 years into the HIV epidemic, about 50,000 people in
this country still become infected each year," said CDC Director
Dr. Thomas Frieden. "Not only do men who have sex with men
continue to account for most new infections, young gay and
bisexual men are the only group in which infections are
increasing, and this increase is particularly concerning among
young African American MSM."
The data look at the period between 2006 and 2009. It's the first
time HIV incidence numbers were calculated using a lab test that
distinguishes recent infections from existing infections. The CDC
estimates that MSM make up 2% of the U.S. population but 61% of
2009's new infections. Young men between the ages of 13 and 29 who
had sex with men had the highest new infection rate/increase -
more than a quarter of all new cases. The agency says while young
MSM of all ethnic backgrounds have been hit hard, young blacks
were the only group to see significant increases over the
four-year period. Infection rates among this population jumped 48%
during that time.
The reasons, according to the CDC, aren't clear. It says
individual risk behaviors alone do not account for the increase.
It says black MSM tend to have fewer sexual partners, are less
likely to do IV drugs and are no more likely to have anal
intercourse than other gay men. But the data suggests a number of
possibilities for these trends - that young black MSM often don't
know their HIV status, that the stigma of HIV and homosexuality in
the black community can often impede the use of prevention
services and that often there is limited access to health care
services like testing and treatment in the black community.
Timeline: HIV/AIDS at 30
"We are deeply concerned by the alarming rise in new HIV
infections in young, black gay and bisexual men and the continued
impact of HIV among young gay and bisexual men of all races," said
Dr. Jonathan Mermin, director of CDC's Division of HIV/AIDS
Prevention. "We cannot allow the health of a new generation of gay
men to be lost to a preventable disease. It's time to renew the
focus on HIV among gay men and confront the homophobia and stigma
that all too often accompany this disease."
It's not just African Americans who are disproportionately
affected. The data suggest that communities of color are
shouldering a heavier burden. In 2009, blacks made up 14% of the
population but accounted for 44% of all new infections. Their
infection rate was almost 8 times that of whites. The rate among
black men was the highest of any group - more than six times that
of white men. The infection rate among black women was 15 times
higher than white women. Hispanics make up about 16% of the
population, and 20% of new HIV infections. Their rate of infection
is about three times that of whites.
Dr. Kevin Fenton, director of CDC's National Center for HIV/AIDS,
Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention, says the data are
encouraging in that the number of new infections has significantly
dropped from the peak seen in the mid-1980s, however there is
still much work ahead. "We have plateaued at an unacceptably high
level. Without intensified HIV prevention efforts, we are likely
to face an era of rising infection rates and higher health care
costs for a preventable condition that already affects more than 1
million people in this country."
Phill Wilson, founder & chief executive officer of the Black
AIDS Institute, whose mission is to stop the pandemic in black
communities says we have the tools to end the epidemic, but
prevention efforts have been stalled for some time.
"What these numbers tell us is we are not going to be successful
in driving down new infections until and unless we invest in those
populations most at risk, and in America today those populations
are black Americans, men who have sex with men of all races and
especially young, black men who have sex with men," Wilson said.
"It is outrageous that over the last three years reported in this
data, since 2006-2009, we see a 48% increase in new cases among
young black men who have sex with men age 13-29. We have to build
the infrastructure and the capacity in these communities to
respond to this epidemic in an appropriate manner."
The agency says it's working on a number of interventions for
hardest hit populations. Officials hope some of the latest new
prevention strategies like pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) -
exposing high risk populations to HIV drugs to prevent infection
in both MSM, and heterosexual men and women - will have a strong
impact on infection rates. In July, new data from several studies
found PrEP was safe and effective in preventing infection in these
populations.