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Some black MSM may have low awareness of HIV risk
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Black men who have sex with men living in one Mississippi city are continuing to have unprotected sex even after they have been diagnosed with HIV, according to new CDC data.
Twenty of 29 MSM in Jackson, Miss., reported having unprotected anal intercourse within 12 months prior to being diagnosed with HIV.
The Mississippi State Department of Health has conducted routine HIV surveillance activities since 1988. During 2004-2005, 22 black MSM were diagnosed with HIV at a clinic in Jackson. That number increased to 32 diagnoses in 2006-2007, representing a 45% increase over two years.
In response, CDC and health department officials identified all black MSM in the Jackson area aged 16 to 25 years who had been diagnosed with HIV between January 2006 and April 2008. They surveyed this population with a questionnaire asking for information on sexual identity and behavior, condom use, HIV testing, drug use and perceived risk for HIV infection. The men were asked questions about sexual behaviors in the 12 months prior to HIV diagnosis.
Nineteen of the 29 men self-identified as homosexual, seven as bisexual, two as heterosexual and one as questioning.
Of the 20 men who reported having unprotected anal intercourse with a male partner, 16 had done so with partners aged 26 years or older.
The median number of male sex partners reported by 26 of the questionnaire respondents was 3.5 (range 1-11). Three of the 29 participants reported having had a female sex partner in the study period and 16 reported concurrent sexual relationships, according to the researchers.
Six participants had not been tested for HIV in the two-year period before their diagnosis, and five of the men had one test in that same period. Fifteen respondents thought previously it was unlikely or very unlikely that they would acquire HIV in their lifetime.
This lack of awareness highlights the need for a comprehensive combination of interventions to prevent HIV infection, according to Alexandra Oster, MD, Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer in the Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention at the CDC.
“We found that stigma and homophobia played a particularly big role in perpetuating the epidemic in this community,” she said. “We believe that to be true for the south in general.”
Oster said that in 2006, there were more new AIDS cases diagnosed among MSM in the south than among MSM in the rest of the country combined. – by Rob Volansky
MMWR. 2009;58:77-81.