- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) yesterday released a new report showing the uneven and devastating impact of HIV on communities of color and men who have sex with men (MSM). The report, “Subpopulation Estimates from the HIV Incidence Surveillance System,” reveals that new infection rates in black and Hispanic communities, and among MSM, represent a disproportionately high number of overall new infections. AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts, Inc. (AAC) emphasizes the need for targeted prevention outreach efforts throughout the affected communities, and a National AIDS Strategy to coordinate focused prevention efforts across federal agencies.
“The only way to stop this epidemic is by preventing new infections,” said Rebecca Haag, President and CEO, AAC. “These numbers underscore that government at every level must increase funding and shift their focus to ensure that prevention efforts are targeted to communities of color and men who have sex with men. We call on the next President to develop a National AIDS Strategy which sets measurable targets and timetables to reduce new infections and to encourage everyone to get tested for HIV and to seek treatment and care if infected.”
Using new technology which can pinpoint the timeframe of infection, the CDC reports that of new infections, 73% were in males, 45% were in blacks, and 53% were in MSM. The number of new HIV infections in black MSM between the ages of 13 and 29 was 1.6 times the number in white MSM in the same age group, while the HIV incidence rate for black females was 14.7 times the rate for white females, and the rate for Hispanic females was 3.8 times the rate for white females.
In Massachusetts, 2-3 new HIV infections occur daily, and HIV infections rates for Massachusetts MSM are estimated to be nearly 25 times higher than the rates for men who only have sex with women. Male-to-male sex has also been the first- or second-ranked mode of HIV exposure among black and Hispanic men in Massachusetts in recent years. Blacks and Latinos make up 12% of the state population but comprise more than 51% of people living with and becoming infected with HIV/AIDS. More than 80% of Massachusetts women recently diagnosed with HIV were women of color.
AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts, Inc., (AAC), New England’s first and largest AIDS organization, is dedicated to stopping the spread of HIV/AIDS by preventing new infections and optimizing the health of those already infected. AAC provides free confidential services to men and women already living with HIV/AIDS, as well as conducts extensive educational and prevention outreach to those at risk of infection. AAC runs the only statewide AIDS Hotline (1.800.235.2331), Hepatitis Hotline (1.888.443.4372) and Pharmacy Access Hotline (1.800.988.5209). All Hotlines offer support in Spanish and in English. Free and confidential rapid HIV testing and counseling is available at AAC’s downtown Boston location and at its MALE Center in Boston’s South End neighborhood. AAC also advocates for effective science-based prevention programs. More information is available at www.aac.org and at AAC’s blog at blog.aac.org.
More information on the call for a National AIDS Strategy is available at www.nationalaidsstrategy.org.
