CDC report: Gay men have 1 in 6 chance of getting HIV

Gay and bisexual men are 79 times more likely than heterosexual men to be diagnosed with HIV in their lifetime, according to a first-ever analysis released last week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Overall, the likelihood of infection for Americans has dropped, from 1 in 78 in 2005 to 1 in 99 in this most recent study. But the CDC analysis for certain key populations and geographical areas found significant disparities.

Researchers examined HIV diagnosis and death rates between 2009 and 2013 to predict lifetime diagnosis rates by race, sex, gender, and geographical region. HIV, or human immunodeficiency virus, is spread primarily through sex and sharing needles. If current HIV diagnosis rates continue, 1 in 6 men who have sex with men (MSM) will be diagnosed with HIV in their lifetime. Heterosexual men face a 1 in 473 risk.

“These estimates are a sobering reminder that gay and bisexual men face an unacceptably high risk for HIV—and of the urgent need for action,” said Eugene McCray, director of CDC’s Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention.

Analysis by race and ethnicity found African Americans have the greatest risk. At current rates, 1 in 2 African-American MSM will be diagnosed in their lifetime, compared to 1 in 4 Latino MSM and 1 in 11 white MSM. African-American women also face an alarming risk, with 1 in 48 likely to have a lifetime diagnosis, compared to 1 in 880 white women.

“The differences are stark,” said Jonathan Mermin, director of the CDC’s National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention.

According to the CDC, the higher risk is due to higher prevalence of HIV within the African-American community, lack of access to healthcare, poverty, and the stigma surrounding HIV. Many are reluctant to get tested or take the drug PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis), an anti-HIV pill for high-risk uninfected people.

“As alarming as these lifetime risk estimates are, they are not a foregone conclusion. They are a call to action,” Mermin said. “The prevention and care strategies we have at our disposal today provide a promising outlook for future reduction of HIV infection and disparities in the U.S., but hundreds of thousands of people will be diagnosed in their lifetime if we don’t scale up efforts now.”

The CDC’s High Impact Prevention approach referenced in the report includes encouraging HIV testing, ongoing care for those infected, PrEP, and condom use. When asked why abstinence is not a recommended measure, a CDC spokesperson acknowledged abstinence is the only 100 percent effective way to prevent HIV infection, but said the agency’s materials are “designed to target those who are most at risk of acquiring or transmitting HIV (including those who are sexually active),” according to Lifesitenews.