FRIDAY, Sept. 24 (HealthDay News) -- The prevalence of HIV among men who have sex with men (MSM) remains high in the United States, and 44 percent of infected MSM do not know they are infected, according to research published in the Sept. 24 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Researchers at the CDC used National HIV Behavioral Surveillance system data -- obtained from anonymous cross-sectional interviews of men at bars, clubs, and social organizations where MSM congregate -- to estimate HIV prevalence and knowledge of HIV status among MSM from 21 major metropolitan areas of the United States.
The researchers found that the 2008 HIV prevalence was 19 percent overall among MSM, with racial differences (non-Hispanic blacks, 28 percent; Hispanics, 18 percent; whites, 16 percent; and multiracial or other race, 17 percent). Many of those infected were unaware of their infection (44 percent); this lack of awareness was most common in younger (aged 18 to 29) men (63 percent) and minorities (54 percent). In addition, 55 percent of MSM who were unaware they were infected reported that they had not been tested for HIV in the preceding year.
"Because MSM represent the only group with increasing HIV incidence and comprise the largest proportion of new infections, it is critical to target resources and prevention strategies to MSM. The National HIV/AIDS Strategy emphasizes the importance of improving the impact of HIV prevention efforts for MSM," the authors write.
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