Via WebMD, a report that's lighted up NewsNow HIV tonight: 1 in 5 Gay/Bi Men Have HIV, Nearly Half Don't Know. Excerpt:
One in five gay/bisexual men in the 21 U.S. cities hardest hit by AIDS have HIV infections -- and nearly half don't know it, a CDC survey finds.
Black gay/bi men and under-30 gay/bi adults are least likely to know of their HIV infections.
The findings show that HIV infection rates remain strikingly high among gay and bisexual men, says Kevin Fenton, MD, PhD, director of the CDC's center for HIV/AIDS, viral hepatitis, STD, and TB prevention.
"The number of new HIV infections each year is increasing among men who have sex with men [MSM], while remaining stable or decreasing in other groups," Fenton said in a statement. "Currently, MSM account for nearly half of the more than 1 million people living with HIV in the United States."
To get these numbers, CDC teams visited bars, dance clubs, and other venues frequented by gay and bisexual men in the 21 cities with the highest number of AIDS cases. They interviewed 8,153 self-identified gay and bisexual men who agreed to undergo HIV testing.
The findings:
•19% of the men tested positive for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
•28% of black, 18% of Hispanic, and 16% of white men tested positive for HIV.
•44% of the men who tested positive for HIV had been unaware of their infection.
•59% of black, 46% of Hispanic, and 26% of white men who tested positive for HIV were unaware of their infection.
•63% of the HIV-positive men age 18-29 were unaware of their infection.
