One in five gay American men has HIV, study says

One out of 5 gay men in America is has HIV

A new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that a fifth of gay men in the United States are infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Nearly half of carriers are not aware of their infection.

The CDC tested 8,000 men in 21 U.S. cities in 2008, the largest study of its kind done so far by the agency.

Researchers found that young, sexually-active gay men and those who are classified as minorities are the least likely to be aware of their medical status, despite the data showing that HIV infection rates are soaring in the group of men who have sex with men or MSM. In contrast, the infection rates in other groups like heterosexuals and intravenous drug users are dropping.

The CDC released the findings of the study on Thursday before the National Gay Men's HIV Awareness Day to be held on Monday.

“This study's message is clear: HIV exacts a devastating toll on men who have sex with men in America's major cities, and yet far too many of those who are infected don't know it,” said Kevin Fenton, who is the director of the CDC's National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention.

The latest findings were close to those of a National Health Behavioral Study undertaken from June 2004 to April 2005 which found that one in four gay men had HIV.

However, the infection rates among Black and Hispanic gay men have increased since the 2005 study, and outpaced the rate of White gay men during the latest research.

Posted by George Daniels on Sunday September 26 2010, 9:51 AM EST. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, Health. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0