New HIV Infections Striking Nearly 1 in 7 Young, Gay Black Men
Overall rate returns to mid-1980s levels
By Charelne Laino
Originally published by MSNBC, May 31, 2001
About one in seven young, gay black men in major U.S. cities is newly infected with HIV, a new government survey shows. Overall, new infection rates among young urban gays of all races are as high as those recorded at the peak of the epidemic in the mid-1980s, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday.
HIV is spreading among urban gay men who are too young to recall the puzzling beginnings of the AIDS epidemic two decades ago at alarming rates, the CDC said.
In a six-city study conducted between 1998 and 2000, 4.4 percent of homosexual and bisexual men aged 23 to 29 were newly infected with HIV each year, the researchers reported.
This high rate of new infections, combined with recent increases in STDs and risk behavior among gay men, suggests a resurgence of the disease in this population, the CDC said.
"The numbers we're publishing right now are more like the findings you see in the '80s than the findings you see in the '90s," said CDC's Linda Valleroy, who led the survey.
In a special report to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the first known AIDS cases in the United States, some experts said the findings could point to a growing complacency among young men growing up in a era when potent drug combinations can keep the virus in check.
Indeed, the findings come on the heels of a study released by the same group earlier this year that found that many homosexuals are indulging in risky sexual behaviors. Overall, almost half of the men in that study reported having unprotected anal sex during the past six months.
While cautioning that the sample size was small and the findings may not be representative of all gay men, the extremely high rate of new infections points to the critical need for public health interventions, particularly in black communities, said Dr. Helene Gayle director of CDC's National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention.
Earlier this year, Gayle noted that infection rates among gay men dropped precipitously in several cities after the intensive preventive efforts of the 1980s. "But now we're seeing these extremely high overall rates and really frightening rates among blacks," she said.
According to the CDC, blacks are increasingly bearing the brunt of the epidemic regardless of their sexual orientation. Of the some 40,000 new infections last year, more than half were among blacks. And black women are four times more likely to carry the virus than their white counterparts.
The government's goal: to cut in half HIV infections among all Americans within five years.
PREVENTION PLAN
CDC's strategic plan, announced in January, will attempt to fight back against the AIDS epidemic largely by targeting Americans who are infected with HIV but do not know it, said the CDC's Dr. Robert Janssen.
"Those who are unaware of their HIV status—and consequently not receiving prevention and care services—are contributing significantly to the spread of new HIV infections," Janssen said.
"Our program will encourage all Americans who engage in high-risk behaviors—primarily, unprotected sex with a partner whose HIV status in not known to them and IV drug use—to get tested now."
Reaching African–Americans is of particular concern, he agreed, noting that many blacks do not get tested because the disease continues to carry a stigma in the community.
If people were aware they carried the virus, Janssen explained, they could take anti–AIDS medications and, if needed, receive treatment for drug abuse and mental health care, all of which would make them less likely to transmit the virus to their partners.
Additionally, the government will step up efforts to help infected individuals maintain safer behaviors over the long run.
Among its action steps is an innovative outreach campaign with local radio and bus ads and billboard messages in neighborhoods where HIV is prevalent.
NEW STUDY FINDINGS
The new results were released in a special June 1 issue of CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report entirely dedicated to AIDS. On June 5, 1981, MMWR carried the first reports of the then–unknown disease.
For the study, CDC epidemiologist Valleroy analyzed data collected by the agency from 1998 to 2000. The data was based on testing of 2,942 homosexual and bisexual men ages 23 to 29 in Baltimore, Dallas, Los Angeles, Miami, Seattle and New York.
In all, 373 of the young men were HIV–positive, of which 290 could be tested for recent infection.
When broken down by race, new infection rates were:
- 14.7 percent for blacks; 3.5 percent for Latinos; 2.5 percent for whites.
Valleroy's study earlier this year found nearly one in three young gay black men in major U.S. cities is infected with HIV.
AIDS TREMENDOUS TOLL
Since the start of the epidemic, AIDS has had a tremendous toll in the United States, the CDC said, with 774,467 cases reported nationwide and approximately 450,000 deaths.
"AIDS continues to have a tragic impact, not only on those who have died or are living with HIV infection, but also on the many friends, families, and entire communities that have been forever changed by the epidemic," said CDC Director Dr. Jeffrey P. Koplan.
Today, an estimated 500,000 to 600,000 Americans are infected with HIV infection and another 320,000 people have full-blown AIDS.
New infections, which peaked at over 150,000 annually in the mid–1980s, were reduced to an estimated 40,000 a year in the early 1990s.
"At this solemn milestone, the best way to honor those lost to AIDS is to stop the spread of the disease," Koplan said in a statement. "As we remember those who have died, we must recommit ourselves to prevention on a national, community and personal level, or we greatly risk seeing infections rise again."
