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National Gay Men's HIV/AIDS Awareness Day set for Thursday
Sept. 27 marks National Gay Men’s HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, which is observed to focus on the effects that HIV and AIDS has on gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men in the United States.
According to Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, there were more than 592,000 MSM with HIV in the United States at the end of 2009, comprising 52% of the population of people with HIV in the country. MSM represented only 2% of the US population in 2009, but 64% of new HIV infections were in this group.
Infections in MSM aged 13 to 29 years increased 34% from 2006 to 2009. Among black MSM in this age group, infections increased 48%.
CDC supports several services for this group, including HIV prevention services, diagnosis of HIV infection and linking MSM with infection to treatment. There are programs designed especially for young black MSM. More information can be found at www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/msm and at www.cdc.gov/features/ngmhaad.