CDC: Half of gay black men will get HIV
WASHINGTON, D.C., – In a first-of-its-kind
analysis, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have concluded that one
in two black men who are gay or bisexual will contract HIV.
In an infographic released last week, one in six men who have
sex with men (MSM) will contract HIV in their lifetimes, with half of black MSM
likely to contract. Black men are the most likely racial and gender demographic
to contract HIV, with a five-percent chance of contraction.
White women are the least likely to contract the disease of the
demographics examined – blacks, Hispanics, and whites of both genders – with
one in 880 likely to contract. Women generally who inject drugs via needles
were the second most likely demographic to contract HIV, behind MSM, with one
in 23 likely to contract, while one in 36 men who inject drugs was likely to
contract HIV.
One in 241 heterosexual women was projected to contract HIV, and
one in 473 heterosexual men.
"As alarming as these lifetime risk estimates are, they are
not a foregone conclusion. They are a call to action," said Jonathan
Mermin, M.D., director of CDC's National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis,
STD, and Tuberculosis Prevention, in a press statement. "The prevention
and care strategies we have at our disposal today provide a promising outlook
for future reductions of HIV infections 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 also calculated that the risk of being diagnosed with
HIV is down from one in 78 a decade ago to one in 99 by 2013. People in the
American South "are more likely to be diagnosed with HIV over the course
of their lifetime than other Americans, with the highest risk in Washington, DC
(1 in 13), Maryland (1 in 49), Georgia (1 in 51), Florida (1 in 54), and
Louisiana (1 in 56)," said the new infographic.
How did the CDC get its data for this report?
"This analysis presents lifetime and age-conditional risk
estimates using data from 2009-2013 by race/ethnicity, sex, and risk group as
well as state-level lifetime risk estimates," said a CDC spokesperson.
"Previous estimates of the lifetime risk of receiving an
HIV diagnosis were generated using surveillance data for 2004-2005 from 33
states that had implemented confidential, name-based HIV reporting at that
time. However, these estimates did not include all jurisdictions in the nation,
and some trends in HIV have changed since that time, such as a decrease in HIV
diagnosis rates among women," continued the spokesperson, explaining why
this kind of report has never been published before.
"It is now also possible to determine lifetime risk of HIV
diagnosis by risk group based on recently published estimates of the proportion
of the United States population who are men who have sex with men (MSM), who
comprise the majority of persons with HIV, as well as persons at risk for HIV
due to injection-drug use or heterosexual contact. In addition, data on HIV
diagnoses are now available from all 50 states and the District of
Columbia."
Why are blacks most susceptible?
According to the infographic, "studies have shown that
African-Americans do not engage in riskier sexual behavior compared to
Americans of other races/ethnicities" but also that "reasons
for" blacks to have a "higher lifetime risk" of contracting
HIV/AIDS "include higher prevalence within the community ... lack of
access to health care; poverty; and stigma."
LifeSiteNews asked the aforementioned CDC spokesperson why
access to health care, poverty, and stigma contribute to contraction of HIV,
which is almost always garnered through proactive methods – such as anal
penetration, use of needles, and vaginal sex.
The spokesperson explained that "African-Americans
represent 12% of the total U.S. population, but accounted for nearly half (44%)
of HIV diagnosis in 2014 – and for more than one third of people living with
HIV. Given the greater prevalence of HIV that already exists in many
African-American communities – and because African-Americans are more likely to
have sex with other African-Americans – men and women have an increased
likelihood of being exposed to HIV with every sexual encounter."
"Unsurprisingly, economic hardship also plays a significant
role," continued the spokesperson. "If you don't have the means to
see a doctor, you may not get an HIV test or treatment until it's too late.
Physicians have a central role in helping people know their risk for HIV
infection as well as the options that are available to prevent it."
Additionally, "those who can't afford the basics in life
may end up in circumstances that increase their risk," said the
spokesperson, and "homelessness and unstable housing can hinder access to preventative
health care, as well as treatment and prevention services for HIV-infected
individuals."
"Finally, fear and stigma can prevent African-Americans
from getting tested (e.g. patients fear being identified as HIV-infected or
physicians themselves are reluctant to offer the test for fear of offending
them). This is not unique to the African-American community – fear and stigma
are issues that remain too prevalent across this country and prevent too many,
including African-Americans, from seeking the testing, treatment, and support
they need."
In 2015, a different CDC spokesperson described
the effect of
"stigma" as "a major barrier to HIV testing, condom use and use
of other effective, available prevention strategies. It also discourages
those living with HIV from seeking the care and treatment they need to stay
healthy and avoid transmitting HIV to others."
CDC recommendations officially, but infrequently, include
abstinence
The infographic refers to recommendations in the CDC's High
Impact Prevention (HIP) methods for HIV prevention. Those methods include
"HIV testing, ongoing care and treatment for people living with HIV,
pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP, a daily anti-HIV pill for high-risk uninfected
people) and condoms," according to its website.
"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, M.D., director of the CDC's Division of
HIV/AIDS Prevention. "If we work to ensure that every American has access
to the prevention tools we know work, we can avoid the outcomes projected in
this study."
The CDC's HIP methods do not include abstinence from sexual
activity. The CDC spokesperson told LifeSiteNews that "many of the
materials you have seen are designed to target those who are most at risk of
acquiring or transmitting HIV (including those who are sexually active)"
with regard to popular YouTube and Pandora ads and other public safety
warnings.
The spokesperson clarified that "while abstinence is the
best way to prevent getting HIV from a sex partner, CDC must address all of the
available prevention options to help individuals take control of their health,
make informed choices, and reduce their risk for getting and transmitting
HIV."
The agency "has recently issued a comprehensive guide in
which individuals can get information on all effective prevention strategies.
Throughout the guide we reference that 'abstinence is the only 100% effective
way to prevent HIV, other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), and
pregnancy.'"
"The purpose of High-Impact Prevention is to reach the
right people, in the right places, with the right tools. The approach can
change upon the local landscape," concluded the spokesperson.
In 2013, a different spokesperson told
LifeSiteNews that while
a report on "HIV testing and Risk Behaviors" among MSM did not
recommend abstinence as a method of HIV prevention, "we do know that not
having sex is the most reliable way to avoid infection, and we include that as
a prevention option in our media materials."
That spokesperson pointed LifeSiteNews to an August 2013 graphic from the CDC that puts abstinence as the first
of three measures to prevent MSM in relationships from contracting HIV.
The spokesperson who spoke to this reporter about stigma in 2015
explained that "when asked broadly how someone can protect themselves from
infection, [the CDC] consistently indicate that abstinence is the only 100
percent effective strategy for preventing infection. And, again, for those who
are sexually active, we provide information on how to reduce risk."
