WASHINGTON -- The number of HIV diagnoses for U.S. men who have sex with men (MSM) increased last year, according to the latest government report, and experts are unsure of the cause.
An analysis of trends released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found an overall stable annual rate of diagnosis of the AIDS virus, and a 5 percent drop in the diagnosis rate for African Americans.
But the study also found an 8 percent increase in HIV diagnoses among MSM between 2003 and 2004, after several years of relatively stable data. Analysts suggest increases in high-risk behavior and syphilis may be the cause, but some say increased HIV testing among gay men may also be partially to blame.
"We don't yet have all of the answers regarding the factors driving these trends," said Ronald Valdiserri, acting director of the CDC's National Center for HIV, STD and TB Prevention. "Increased diagnoses among men who have sex with men could reflect increased HIV incidents, increased testing or some combination of both."
The analysis relies on data from 33 states. For the first time, New York was included, and the Empire State accounted for 20 percent of new diagnoses from 2001 to 2004.
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