Monday, June 30, 2008

HIV Rate Up 12% Among Young Gay US Men

Steepest Rise Is in Black Males Ages 13 to 24


The number of young homosexual men being newly diagnosed with HIV infection is rising by 12 percent a year, with the steepest upward trend in young black men, according to a new report.

The double-digit increase in young gay men is about 10 times higher than in the homosexual community overall, where the number of new infections is going up about 1.5 percent a year.

The report, released yesterday by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, appears to confirm impressions that a "second-wave" AIDS epidemic is underway in gay America.

"These men represent a new generation that has not been personally affected by AIDS in the same way that their older peers were," said Richard Wolitski, acting director of HIV-AIDS prevention at CDC.

The new data cover 33 states. Whether they reflect the entire country is unknown, although the states include New York, Florida, New Jersey and Texas, all of which have large numbers of HIV-infected people. (
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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

i had a 19 y/o guy here in london tell me he didn't care if he got HIV because it was treatable. that's the attitude many have. hopefully, they will not wake up one day to the ugly reality that is AIDS.

Anonymous said...

Well, what can we expect when we continue construe gay rights and gay pride with promiscuity? Sex has risks and safe sex is about more than wearing a condom. It's about knowing your partner. Sex is natural and beautiful, but if one is careless, its consequences can be ugly. As gay men, the responsibility is ours to end stereotypes, not promote them.