Homosexuality Contributes to HIV Risk

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Homosexuality Contributes to HIV Risk

Special Report - August 11, 2011
Homosexual men and minority men accounted for the largest increases in HIV incidences in the United States between 2006 and 2009, according to new data released August 3 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). While the overall number of new HIV infections remained mostly steady, the individual groups representing the greatest increases give cause for concern.

The number of new HIV infections annually has remained near 48,000 each year, except for a spike to 56,000 in 2007. However, during the same time period (between 2006 to 2009), several groups saw notable increases in HIV infections:

HIV incidences for people aged 13-29 years jumped an estimated 21 percent, “driven by a 34 percent increase in young MSM [men who have sex with men],” which the CDC notes is the “only group to experience a significant increase in incidence in this age range.”
Among MSM between the ages of 13 and 29, Black MSM saw a staggering 48 percent increase in HIV incidence.

The CDC admits that “the reasons for this increase are not fully known, but may include a high background prevalence of HIV in black MSM and societal factors, including stigma of HIV and homosexuality, limited access to health care, and poverty that may create an enabling environment for HIV infection.”

The CDC also looked at the breakdown of HIV infections by several demographic groups. Homosexual and bisexual men are “the population most heavily affected by HIV in the United States,” accounting for more than half of the new HIV infections from 2006 to 2009, despite representing less than two percent of the population. In 2009 alone, MSM accounted for 61 percent of estimated new HIV infections. African Americans and Latinos/Hispanics are the most affected racial/ethnic groups with blacks and Hispanics accounting for 44 percent of new HIV infections in 2009, despite constituting 14 percent of the population.

Other key findings include:

Black men account for nearly one-third of new HIV infections—the most affected group by race and sex.
Young (aged 13-29) MSM represent more than one-fourth of new HIV infections.
More than two-thirds of heterosexuals infected with HIV were women.
The majority of white men who contracted HIV did so through homosexual activity. According to the CDC, “MSM accounted for 86 percent of new infections among white men.”

Related resources:
Some Sexually Transmitted Diseases Increase - November 26, 2010
STD Rate Much Higher for Homosexual Men - March 16, 2010
CDC Releases New STD Survey - November 19, 2009
Active Homosexual Men at Greater Risk for HIV - June 16, 2009
The CDC Releases New Estimates of HIV/AIDS - December 2, 2008
HIV Growing Fastest in Homosexual Population - September 15, 2008
Homosexual Activist Calls HIV “Gay Disease” - February 18, 2008
CDC Finds High Homosexual HIV Rate - August 30, 2007
The Physical Health Risks of Homosexuality - FNC - July 2007