HIV Cases Climb Among Gay, Bisexual Men in U.S.

Reuters ^ | Mon, Jul 28, 2003 | Paul Simao

[presidio9]

The number of gay and bisexual men diagnosed with HIV (news - web sites), the virus that causes AIDS (news - web sites), climbed for the third consecutive year in the United States in 2002, fueling fears that the disease might be poised for a major comeback in this high-risk group.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (news - web sites), which reported the finding on Monday at the 2003 National HIV Prevention Conference in Atlanta, also revealed that AIDS diagnoses overall had risen 2.2 percent to 42,136 last year.

"The AIDS epidemic in the United States is far from over," said Dr. Harold Jaffe, director of the CDC's National Center for HIV, STD and TB Prevention.

An estimated 850,000 to 950,000 Americans have the AIDS virus. AIDS killed 16,371 people across the nation last year, about 6 percent fewer than in 2001, according to the CDC.

Although U.S. health officials have been preaching HIV prevention to all Americans, they have become particularly concerned in recent years by an apparent resurgence of infections among gay and bisexual males.

HIV diagnoses among men who have sex with men surged 7.1 percent last year, according to data collected by the CDC from 25 states that have long-standing HIV reporting. New diagnoses in this high-risk group have increased 17.7 percent since 1999, while remaining stable in other vulnerable communities.

Jaffe cautioned, however, that the jump in HIV diagnoses could have been caused by increases in the number of gay and bisexual males being tested for the virus and was not proof that this group was being infected at a faster rate.

STANDARD TESTS

Standard HIV tests cannot tell when a person was infected with the virus, leaving open the possibility that HIV was contracted many years before being detected.

That could change in the coming months as the CDC implements a new HIV tracking system, which is based on a blood test that it says can determine whether a person had been infected with HIV in the previous six months.

CDC officials said the new surveillance strategy, was prompted by a need for more precise data on HIV infections and trends. About 40,000 new HIV infections are reported in the nation each year.

Since the AIDS virus first surfaced in 1981, estimates of new HIV cases have been based on the predictable length of time -- usually 10 years -- that elapsed between an initial infection and the onset of AIDS symptoms.

But the development of antiretroviral drugs has slowed the progression of AIDS and made it more difficult to predict when a person contracted HIV.

"It will provide us timely information on HIV transmission that is occurring now," said Dr. Robert Janssen, who directs HIV prevention programs at the Atlanta-based agency.

"What it will do is allow us to target our prevention programs to those areas and populations among whom HIV is being currently transmitted," Janssen added.

The CDC plans to have the system in place in 35 areas that account for 93 percent of annual HIV infections by 2004. The agency has allocated $13 million in supplemental funding to state health departments for the program in fiscal 2004.

[lady lawyer]

Hitler and Stalin killed people. We are watching people addicted to bad behavior killing themselves. Big difference.

[TenaciousZ]

The number of gay and bisexual men diagnosed with HIV (news - web sites), the virus that causes AIDS (news - web sites), climbed for the third consecutive year in the United States in 2002

Wow! A study concludes that gay and bisexual men are catching HIV in greater numbers. What Einsteins.

In other news, scientists discover the surface of the sun is hot. Film at 11.

Thing is, the national HIV infection rate was actually on the decline for a while. Now it's on the rise again.

I suspect this too will somehow be spun into being Bush's fault.

[spodefly]

One of the most ignorant statements I've ever seen at FR. Millions of deaths equals a better place. Stalin and Hitler had similar agendas.

BS. The fags are, in this case, the Stalins and Hitlers ... they are the ones propagating death. No one is forcing them to engage in highly risky, deviant behaviors. What happens to them is because they brought it on themselves. And they are bringing death to the entire population by spreading disease outside their (deserving) group.

Personally I'd prefer it be lawyers that were heading towards extinction.

On that we can agree.

[presidio9]

In your own view, what positives is the homosexual culture adding to our society?

[presidio9]

I had a friend who was a hemophiliac. He died of AIDS in 1984 at the age of 16. I will never forgive the homosexuals for this.

[autoresponder]

AIDS the Voluntary Killer Disease

Actual AIDS deaths a year are between 65,000 and 110,000

Ever notice the absence of single females dying but many young men dying of some common disease?

Pnemonia, Cancer, Kidney Failure, TB, etc.

High drug and alcohol useage.

Multi partners a year, up to 150 each for "gay" men.

Average "long-time companionship" is 1½ years tops!

How gay.

Women under 1½ a year.

Kills much more than drunk drivers.

3½-5½ times the US Murder Totals/Year

Media at the NYT is 75% gay and lesbian; per their own claims.

2% of US population are quarantine proof; if they has TB they would be quarantined if they refused to take their meds.

They catch TB like wildfire and don't take their meds either!

AIDS; the lib PC celebrity fun disease......

PS - Don't let people sneeze or cough at you in elevators, etc.

TB/AIDS is an airborne killer

[TenaciousZ]

In your own view, what positives is the homosexual culture adding to our society?

Well, according to the activists there's been Abraham Lincoln, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Socrates ...

Oh wait, you said in your own view.

[Uncle Miltie]

Nothing tha marriage can't fix....

< /radom thoughts>

[FeliciaCat]

This surprises anyone? As long as Gays are made to look like "victims" of AIDS instead of the careless recipients of a communicable disease then the disease will continue to spread.

The Gay community has the power to stop the spread of this disease (or mostly stop it) in this county. But it would reguire honesty and facts about AIDS, the gay community and gay behaviour and thats not on the agenda.

[presidio9]

Yeah the buttsex crowd loves making allegations against people who can't defend themselves.

I never heard "Lincoln" before.

[WestPacSailor]

No one is forcing them to engage in highly risky, deviant behaviors. What happens to them is because they brought it on themselves.

And THAT my friend, is the bottom line.

[autoresponder]

"850,000-950,000 cases of AIDS in America now....."

"40,000 new AIDS (reported) cases each year....."

"16,371 AIDS (reported) deaths each year....."

100% AIDS Death Rate over time

ENRON/GLOBAL CROSSINGS/AOL-TW #s?

Something look "weird" here?

[squidly]

I think I'll live to see the "omnisexual" rights movement.

[Destructor]

So? Why should normal people give a damn?

[r9etb]

It's really not difficult to know where to start on this. Buggery is, by far the biggest risk factor. From the link:

Exposure Category	Male	Female	Total*
Men who have sex with men	368,971	-	368,971
Injecting Drug Use	145,750	55,576	201,326
Men who have sex with men and inject drugs	51,293	-	51,293
Hemophilia/coagulation disorder	5,000	292	5,292
Heterosexual contact	32,735	57,396	90,131
Recipient of blood transfusion, blood components, or tissue	5,057	3,914	8,971
Risk not reported or identified	57,220	23,870	81,091

[autoresponder]

Average gay male "long-time partner" relationship:

1½ years

Many "gays" have 150 "partners" a year

The "marriage" is a money grabber for survivor's Social Security benefits paid by you, the dumb US taxpayers.

Many big corporations have had to drop their homesexual "life partners" medical, dental, and prescription insurance coverages.

Corporate Pension Plans are getting the life sucked out of them by corporate medical insurance coverage and the US Treasury says the pensions will not be there when all you employees retire.

AIDS patients chew up over $1,000,000+ each in hospital, drug, and medical costs before they die.

Ala Marc Rich and the Diamond Glass employee's pension funds he robbed and others he took to Switzerland.

The Legacy of Bill Clinton's "pardone moi"

[AppyPappy]

I worked at AT&T when they had a gay partner plan. Oddly, it was the only place I have ever worked that didn't seem to have homosexuals.

[autoresponder]

Someone else with a sense of tumor

[George W. Bush]

Some of the AIDS rate for bisexuals would undoubtedly involve HIV acquired while in prison. We have a large population of inmates and ex-cons. They carry those diseases out of the prisons and spread them around.

[AD from SpringBay]

Sexuality of normalcy alert.