HIV Cases Among MSM Rise

Newly diagnosed HIV cases rise among homosexual men and the highest rates of HIV are reported among the African Americans.

A report by US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention examined data from 33 states, including New York, Florida, New Jersey and Texas. Between 2001 and 2006 CDC reported 214379 newly diagnosed HIV cases with 46% of cases occurring among young men who have sex with men (MSM). Health officials prefer to use this term instead of 'gay' or 'homosexual', because some of men having sexual intercourse with other men don't recognize themselves as gays.

Gay community was reporting a 1.5% increase in HIV cases annually. This report shows that infection cases among young homosexual community members increases by 12.4% a year, which is a very high number urging HIV epidemic.

Young MSMs are aged from 13 to 24 and are mostly ethnic minorities, blacks. HIV infection cases are on a rise among Asian/Pacific Islanders (12.1% a year), American Indians/Alaska Natives (3.6% a year), African Americans (1.9% a year), Hispanics (1.9% a year), and Caucasians (0.7% a year).

"When you see a 15 percent yearly increase, that is an epidemic that is out of control," said Phill Wilson from Black AIDS Institute in Los Angeles. "And yet we don't see a response that recognizes it is an epidemic out of control."

These figures urge the need of recognizing HIV epidemic and taking active measures against it. Researchers also think that probably powerful antiretroviral therapy is the cause of increased HIV cases, because most of people now think they can take a pill or two and stay healthy.