POZitive Attitudes

National Policy Office – Washington, DC: 202-835-8373

Program and Administrative Office – Tampa, FL: 813-258-5929

For Immediate Release: 9.23.10

——————————————————————————–

Media Contacts: Carl Schmid, (202) 669-8267 CSchmid@theaidsinstitute.org

CDC STUDY FINDS ONE IN FIVE GAY MEN IN LARGE CITIES

HAVE HIV AND NEARLY HALF DO NOT KNOW IT

The AIDS Institute Calls for Heightened Prevention Efforts for Gay Men

Washington, DC – Today, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention released data from a study that found almost one in five gay men (19 percent) in 21 major cities are infected with HIV and nearly half (44 percent) are unaware of their infection.

“This alarming new data provides further evidence that prevention efforts for gay men have not been adequate to meet the growing epidemic and should be dramatically scaled up if we are going to prevent HIV infections in our country,” commented Carl Schmid, Deputy Executive Director of The AIDS Institute. “The severity of the impact of HIV in the gay community is nothing new. What has been missing is an appropriate response by our government, at the federal, state and local levels, and the gay community itself.”

President Obama recently released a National HIV/AIDS Strategy that recognizes 53 percent of all HIV infections in the U.S. are among gay and bisexual men. The Strategy states, “The United States cannot reduce the number of HIV infections nationally without better addressing HIV among gay and bisexual men.” The Strategy also recommends, “Given the starkness and the enduring nature of the disparate impact on gay and bisexual men, it is important to significantly reprioritize resources and attention to this community.’’

“The AIDS Institute strongly supports the Strategy’s recommendations,” continued Schmid, “and is committed to working with the Administration, Congress, and both the HIV and gay communities to ensure the acceptable policies are in place, prevention research is conducted, and sufficient funding is available to decrease HIV infection among gay men of all races and ethnicities.”

Despite the long history of HIV among gay men, there still are only a handful of approved behavioral interventions for men who have sex with men (MSM) and even fewer targeted for a specific race or ethnicity. The CDC, by its own admission, has indicated its prevention expenditures do not match the level needed for gay men compared to other populations. Further, a resource allocation model developed by the CDC concludes that if the level of incidence in the U.S. is to decrease, more resources need to be focused on gay men and other MSM.

Next Monday, September 27th is National Gay Men’s HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, commented Michael Ruppal, Executive Director of The AIDS Institute. “We hope this day will serve as a reminder of the severe toll HIV/AIDS has had and continues to have on the gay community. We also hope it will remind governments at all levels to recommit investing greater resources and attention to gay men. Additionally, we hope the Awareness Day will remind gay men that HIV/AIDS remains prevalent in their community and they should take steps to reduce HIV, both individually and collectively. Finally, with so many gay men unaware of their HIV status, it is imperative for all gay men to know their HIV status by getting tested,” concluded Ruppal.

The study results, which are from the CDC’s National HIV Behavioral Surveillance (NHBS) system, were released in the September 23rd edition of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).

Read Full Post »