Balance of AIDS Cases in Gay and Bisexual Males Tips Toward Minorities
Balance of AIDS Cases in Gay and Bisexual Males Tips Toward Minorities
Jan. 13, 2000 (Atlanta) -- The proportion of AIDS cases in gay and bisexual men of color exceeds that of whites, according to a study in the Jan. 14 issue of the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Additionally, young gay and bisexual men of color represent a higher proportion of HIV/AIDS diagnoses compared with young white gay and bisexual men. The findings point to the need for early testing and better access to care.
"The good news is that the number of new AIDS cases has declined among all groups of gay and bisexual men," study author Janet Blair, PhD, MPH, tells WebMD. "We've seen declines in new AIDS cases and we've also seen declines in deaths as well in gay and bisexual men with AIDS. The bad news is that these declines have not been as great among black and Hispanic gay and bisexual men. ... Gay and bisexual men of color have been disproportionately represented in terms of numbers [of AIDS cases] among gay and bisexual men for quite some time. But in 1997, they surpassed white gay and bisexual men in terms of the proportion of AIDS cases." Blair is an epidemiologist in the Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention at the CDC.
This study examined recent trends in AIDS incidence and deaths among racial and ethnic minority gay and bisexual men. It examined diagnosis data from 1996 to 1998 in 25 states. And it examined U.S. diagnosis data from 1989 and 1998.
Among gay and bisexual men, men of color represented a rising proportion of AIDS cases, increasing from 31% in 1989 to 52% in 1998. Of the AIDS cases among gay and bisexual men, blacks represented one-third and Latino men comprised 18%. White men, on the other hand, represented 69% of the AIDS cases in 1989. In 1998, that proportion dropped to 48%.
"It's useful to take a step back and consider the larger context from which these numbers emerge, particularly as regarding Latinos in the U.S.," says Raphael Campo, MD, in a CDC press teleconference. "HIV infection and AIDS ... disproportionately affect Latinos. While making up only about 10% of the U.S. population, we account for almost 20% of the cumulative AIDS cases in this country. ... Perhaps the most distressing realization, in the wake of this report, is that the shift of HIV burden from white to Latino and African-American men who have sex with men has occurred despite the expanding knowledge about AIDS and the valiant efforts to treat and prevent the disease thus far." Campo is a physician who treats many Latinos and blacks with HIV/AIDS at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.
Balance of AIDS Cases in Gay and Bisexual Males Tips Toward Minorities
Jan. 13, 2000 (Atlanta) -- The proportion of AIDS cases in gay and bisexual men of color exceeds that of whites, according to a study in the Jan. 14 issue of the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Additionally, young gay and bisexual men of color represent a higher proportion of HIV/AIDS diagnoses compared with young white gay and bisexual men. The findings point to the need for early testing and better access to care.
"The good news is that the number of new AIDS cases has declined among all groups of gay and bisexual men," study author Janet Blair, PhD, MPH, tells WebMD. "We've seen declines in new AIDS cases and we've also seen declines in deaths as well in gay and bisexual men with AIDS. The bad news is that these declines have not been as great among black and Hispanic gay and bisexual men. ... Gay and bisexual men of color have been disproportionately represented in terms of numbers [of AIDS cases] among gay and bisexual men for quite some time. But in 1997, they surpassed white gay and bisexual men in terms of the proportion of AIDS cases." Blair is an epidemiologist in the Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention at the CDC.
This study examined recent trends in AIDS incidence and deaths among racial and ethnic minority gay and bisexual men. It examined diagnosis data from 1996 to 1998 in 25 states. And it examined U.S. diagnosis data from 1989 and 1998.
Among gay and bisexual men, men of color represented a rising proportion of AIDS cases, increasing from 31% in 1989 to 52% in 1998. Of the AIDS cases among gay and bisexual men, blacks represented one-third and Latino men comprised 18%. White men, on the other hand, represented 69% of the AIDS cases in 1989. In 1998, that proportion dropped to 48%.
"It's useful to take a step back and consider the larger context from which these numbers emerge, particularly as regarding Latinos in the U.S.," says Raphael Campo, MD, in a CDC press teleconference. "HIV infection and AIDS ... disproportionately affect Latinos. While making up only about 10% of the U.S. population, we account for almost 20% of the cumulative AIDS cases in this country. ... Perhaps the most distressing realization, in the wake of this report, is that the shift of HIV burden from white to Latino and African-American men who have sex with men has occurred despite the expanding knowledge about AIDS and the valiant efforts to treat and prevent the disease thus far." Campo is a physician who treats many Latinos and blacks with HIV/AIDS at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.
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