"This is a direct result of years of policy and programs that demonize and ignore the sexual health needs of gay men, especially African-American and Latino gay men who bear the brunt of the epidemic in the U.S."
The new HIV infection figures released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) increase the estimate of new HIV infections from 40,000 to 56,000 annually, with a range of 48,200 to 64,500. Derived from laboratory data collected in Illinois and 21 other states in 2006, the higher estimate demonstrates that the HIV infection rate is not falling and may very possibly be increasing significantly.
The new estimates are published in August 6 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) and will be presented publicly tomorrow at the International AIDS Conference in Mexico City. The revision also includes a back-calculation revealing that, for the last 15 years, infection rates were approximately 25 to 50 percent higher than the long-held 40,000 annual estimate. This figure is known as incidence, while the overall number of people living with HIV is known as prevalence.
The new HIV infection figures released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) increase the estimate of new HIV infections from 40,000 to 56,000 annually, with a range of 48,200 to 64,500. Derived from laboratory data collected in Illinois and 21 other states in 2006, the higher estimate demonstrates that the HIV infection rate is not falling and may very possibly be increasing significantly.
The new estimates are published in August 6 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) and will be presented publicly tomorrow at the International AIDS Conference in Mexico City. The revision also includes a back-calculation revealing that, for the last 15 years, infection rates were approximately 25 to 50 percent higher than the long-held 40,000 annual estimate. This figure is known as incidence, while the overall number of people living with HIV is known as prevalence.
The CDC estimates reveal a steady rise in infections occurring since the early 1990s, with increases primarily among gay men and African Americans.
Would the increasing rate of new infections mean that so called safer sex practices and condoms aren't working?... For them to work people have to use these practices diligently every single time.
ReplyDeleteI don´t believe that is the case. Condoms and safe sex practices are proven to work - time and again. The issue is resources and scale. Science-based, evidence-based prevention that is culturally competent and sexually affirming for gay and MSM has not been provided adequate resources, is not scaled in proportion to the epidemic, and is plagued by ideology and homophobic policies.
ReplyDeletetesting is the first element of science based evidence.
ReplyDelete