Life
CDC reports HIV infections jump among young gay Black men
“We are deeply concerned by the alarming rise in new HIV infections in young, black gay and bisexual men and the continued impact of HIV among young gay and bisexual men of all races,” said Dr. Jonathan Mermin, director of CDC’s Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention. “We cannot allow the health of a new generation of gay men to be lost to a preventable disease. It’s time to renew the focus on HIV among gay men and confront the homophobia and stigma that all too often accompany this disease.”
It’s not just African Americans who are disproportionately affected. The data suggest that minorities are shouldering a heavier burden. In 2009, black people made up 14% of the population but accounted for 44% of all new infections. Their infection rate was almost 8 times that of whites. The rate among black men was the highest of any group – more than six times that of white men. The infection rate among black women was 15 times higher than white women. Hispanics make up about 16% of the population, and 20% of new HIV infections. Their rate of infection is about three times that of whites.
Dr. Kevin Fenton, director of CDC’s National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention, says the data are encouraging in that the number of new infections has significantly dropped from the peak seen in the mid-1980s, however there is still much work ahead. “We have plateaued at an unacceptably high level. Without intensified HIV prevention efforts, we are likely to face an era of rising infection rates and higher health care costs for a preventable condition that already affects more than 1 million people in this country.”
Phill Wilson, founder & chief executive officer of the Black AIDS Institute, whose mission is to stop the pandemic in black communities says we have the tools to end the epidemic, but prevention efforts have been stalled for some time.
“What these numbers tell us is we are not going to be successful in driving down new infections until and unless we invest in those populations most at risk, and in America today those populations are black Americans, men who have sex with men of all races and especially young, black men who have sex with men,” Wilson said. “It is outrageous that over the last three years reported in this data, since 2006-2009, we see a 48% increase in new cases among young black men who have sex with men age 13-29. We have to build the infrastructure and the capacity in these communities to respond to this epidemic in an appropriate manner.”
The agency says its’ working on a number of interventions for hardest hit populations. Officials hope some of the latest new prevention strategies like pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) – exposing high risk populations to HIV drugs to prevent infection in both MSM, and heterosexual men and women – will have a strong impact on infection rates. In July, new data from several studies found PrEP was safe and effective in preventing infection in these populations.
