TRENDS IN HIV/AIDS DIAGNOSES AMONG GAY MEN ON UPSWING

Increase of 8.6 Percent Between 2001-2006,
Black Gay Men Especially Hard Hit

Los Angeles, Calif., June 27, 2008 – A new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), released on the eve of today’s National HIV Testing Day, shows that HIV/AIDS diagnoses among men who have sex with men (MSM) have increased 8.6 percent from 2001--2006, with the number of HIV/AIDS cases diagnosed among young (age 13-24) black MSM nearly doubling during that same period.

In a study published today in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, CDC analyzed trends in HIV/AIDS diagnoses among MSM in the 33 states with confidential, name-based HIV case reporting in place since 2001. Of the 214,379 HIV/AIDS diagnoses between 2001 and 2006, 97,577 – or 46 percent – were among MSM, the only transmission category to see increases. Some of the increases but not all can be attributed to improved reporting methods. Diagnoses among other categories, including high-risk heterosexual contact and injection drug use, have decreased over the same period.

"Men who have sex with men – especially men of color – remain at greatest risk for HIV/AIDS in the United States," said Craig E. Thompson, executive director of AIDS Project Los Angeles. "Yet just four of 49 scientifically-supported interventions target this population. The data and the dollars don’t match, at the expense of a new generation of young gay men."

The study found that the number of new HIV diagnoses among MSM ages 13--24 increased by 12.4 percent annually, while diagnoses rose three percent among MSM ages 45 and older.
From 2001--2006, approximately twice as many (7,658) diagnoses occurred in black MSM aged 13--24 years as in their white counterparts (3,221). Among MSM aged 13--24 years, only American Indian and Alaska Native MSM showed a decrease in diagnosis rates. The study’s authors called for "continued effective testing and risk reduction interventions for MSM," particularly those under 25.

California’s HIV/AIDS cases are not included in the report. During the period of the study, California reported HIV cases by code, and switched to a name-based system only in 2006.

The report follows several studies in which black MSM are demonstrated to have fewer sexual partners than their white counterparts, to be less likely to use drugs associated with HIV infection and to have comparable rates of unprotected sex as other ethnic groups. Still, black MSM have a faster progression from HIV to AIDS diagnosis than white MSM, and are more likely to die of AIDS than Latino and white MSM.

"HIV/AIDS is soaring in black gay men," Thompson said, "and individual risk behavior does not drive the disparity in this epidemic. Barriers to health care and treatment, narrow sexual networks and higher rates of STDs conspire to keep HIV a ticking time bomb among black gay men.

"The numbers are out. Programs to prevent the spread of HIV among black gay men must follow," Thompson added. "Otherwise, we will spend millions on care and treatment for people who never should have gotten infected in the first place."

AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA), one of the largest non-profit AIDS service organizations in the United States, provides bilingual direct services, prevention education and leadership on HIV/AIDS-related policy and legislation. Marking 25 years of service in 2008, APLA is a community-based, volunteer-supported organization with local, national and global reach. For more information, visit www.apla.org.