HIV infections in U.S. stable but disparities exist

[ChrisBorg]

Source: reuters.com

(Reuters) - The number of Americans newly infected with HIV remained stable between 2006 and 2009, but infections rose nearly 50 percent among young black gay and bisexual men, U.S. experts said on Wednesday.

New data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveal progress since the peak of the HIV epidemic in the 1980s. But the sharp increases in infection rates among young black men who have sex with men show there is much more work to do, they said.

"We're very concerned about these increases among young gay men," Dr. Kevin Fenton, director of the CDC's National Center for HIV/AIDS, said in a telephone interview.

"We can't allow the health to a new generation to be lost to what is essentially a completely preventable disease."



Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/08/03/us-usa-hiv-infections-idUSTRE7724SO20110803?feedType=RSS&feedName=domesticNews

[southmost]

1. the bigoted ignorance displayed on the comments section

of this article in the link are mind-numbing

[ChrisBorg]

2. reading comments on most news sites is like swimming in pig swill.

I tend to avoid it.

One of my pet peeves....TV news shows that dedicate time to tweets, facebook and such.

[southmost]

3. lol, yeah still feel dirty from it

but still managed to glean some positive hopeful news from the article

[closeupready]

4. Without the ability to pay for the drugs that can help fight HIV, I suppose many feel

it makes little sense to get tested, since essentially what you are doing is going to a professional to find out, roughly, the date you are going to die. And bear in mind, if positive, it could be a rather long, drawn-out, painful death, including blindness, nerve damage, dementia, wasting and wheelchair mobility.

As a matter of fact, back in the 80's, I had a black boyfriend who made that argument, and it's very difficult to counter that way of thinking. Especially when so many in the media promote the idea that we should all pay for our own health care out of our own pockets.

[AtheistCrusader]

5. Prevention is extremely cheap, and pretty effective.

So we're failing in public health outreach here somewhere, I expect.

[closeupready]

6. Yes, the failure to reach out and educate leads to higher infection rates.

There have been studies that show this to be true.

But of course, we need to remember that God wants gay people to die painful deaths from HIV, so perhaps we shouldn't anger Him. :sarcasm:

[Fearless]

7. If we educate our children instead of ignoring the problem

The levels will plummet. This is good news, but we CAN do much better. Not a single person should contract HIV today out of ignorance.

[ChrisBorg]

8. There is a fair share of denial involved . As stated in the article...

"those who do not identify themselves as gay or bisexual" These people you will never reach. It is the "on the down-low" community.

[closeupready]

9. Why would you "never reach" the non-gay MSM?

They commute to work and watch TV just like everyone else.

[ChrisBorg]

10. They deny the activity to begin with. Why would they think something to do with

homosexual activity had anything to do with them? I am talking about self-identified "heterosexuals" that engage in homosexual activity but don't identify themselves as homosexual or bisexual.

[closeupready]

11. I've had a number of boyfriends who were like that.

They do not admit to being homosexual or bisexual, but they recognize (to themselves, and/or to the men they are dating) that they will engage in homosexual activity from time to time. The rationalization they provide is frequently something like, "I was horny and had to get off, and there was no woman available." Therefore, the issue here is not kind of Sybil-like schizophrenia, where the homosexual part of their person is a separate personality, but rather, a missed opportunity to engage them in arenas where openly gay people congregate.

[Fearless]

12. The problem is we taboo the entire subject

What we need is to talk to our children... and our parents for that matter. Safer sex practices is the only way to stop this. There will always be those who don't follow safer sex practices, but they must do so by their own choice and not out of ignorance.

[ChrisBorg]

13. I think the majority of people in the US have unsafe sex by choice.

To the point of not wanting to be bothered by it. Even a "heat of the moment" or surprise opportunity situation is still by choice. No amount of education will overcome lazy horniness. (is that even a word?)

[Fearless]

15. It is a word... but it is also a learned behavior...

If it is socially acceptable, people do it... Think of condom use in the African American gay community. It's the highest rate of increase in the past few years for HIV in the US. Why? Because it isn't socially accepted that you practice safe sex.

[ChrisBorg]

16. Then I will ignore this article. Condom use in the African American gay community

is a success.

My bad.

[Fearless]

17. What?

[Igel]

14. Right.

Many of the kids we'd be educating are the same ones that don't learn now.

Nobody should divide 100 by 10 and come up with 5.39 as the answer today out of ignorance, but you'd be seriously surprised--and that's *with* a calculator. (Take away the calculator, and you get a blank look, followed a minute later by their looking around to see where a calculator is.)

[La Lioness Priyanka]

18. homophobia causes hiv/aids. homophobia leads to MSM denying their sexuality

and engaging in unsafe sex. It also causes MSM to hate themselves and not protect their lives, because so many times they have heard their lives are worthless.

Cure homophobia and we will see a large scale reduction in HIV/AIDS

(i am clearly only talking about the US where i dont think ignorance is the major factor, denial and internalized homophobia however are)

[closeupready]

19. Yes. Homophobia leads to self-destructive behaviors of all kinds

Alcoholism, drug abuse, self-mutilation, suicide and unprotected sexual activity with others whose status one doesn't know. Because everyday life itself is a burden and a trial, not joyful at all, and these behaviors can offer relief and pleasure, if only temporary in nature. But even if temporary, it's better than 24/7 misery.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

20. the massive stigmatization of hiv/aids is also why no one wants to get tested for it

if you have it, its acknowledging that you are gay