HIV Cases Climb among Gay, Bisexual Men in US
Reuters
Paul Simao
JULY 28, 2003
Today at the 2003 National HIV Prevention Conference in Atlanta, CDC reported that the number of US gay and bisexual men diagnosed with HIV increased for the third consecutive year in 2002. AIDS diagnoses overall rose 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 CDC's National Center for HIV, STD and TB Prevention.
Health officials estimate that 850,000 to 950,000 Americans have HIV. AIDS killed 16,371 people across the country last year, about 6 percent fewer than in 2001, CDC statistics say. The apparent resurgence of infections among gay and bisexual males concerns US health officials.
CDC data collected from 25 states with long-standing HIV reporting show that HIV diagnoses among men who have sex with men surged 7.1 percent last year. New diagnoses in this group have increased 17.7 percent since 1999. New diagnoses have remained stable in other vulnerable communities.
Jaffe cautioned that an increase in testing among gay and bisexual males could account for the jump in HIV diagnoses. It does not constitute proof that this group is becoming infected at a faster rate.