More than 25 years after the Center for Disease Control reported the first cases of a mysterious cancer and pneumonia appearing among gay men in New York and Los Angeles, HIV conversion rates are skyrocketing among young men who have sex with men (MSM).
On Sept. 11, the New York City Department of Health & Mental Hygiene released a report that found new HIV infections had risen 33 percent among MSMs under 30 years old. The report, which covered the years 2001 to 2006, indicated that twentysomethings and younger account for nearly half of all new diagnoses reported in the city.
Officials added that the epidemic continues disproportionately to affect young MSMs of color. More than 90 percent of MSM under age 20 diagnosed with HIV in 2006 in New York were either black or Latino. Black MSMs received twice as many diagnoses as their white counterparts, according to the report. Latino MSMs were 55 percent more likely to contract the virus than gay or bisexual white men.
Read the rest on edge.
No comments:
Post a Comment