HIV Among Gay Men

Two recent studies have cast new light onto the dynamics of the HIV epidemic in gay men.

Throughout the world, gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men are disproportionately affected by HIV. The overwhelming majority of HIV transmissions that occur in the UK are amongst this group, and the situation is similar in many similar countries.

A lot of HIV prevention efforts are targeted at younger gay men.

Now researchers in America have found that gay men in their early 20s whose sex partners are in their late 20s or older are much more likely to become HIV-positive than men whose sex partners are around their own age.

Only a small proportion of gay men in their late teens or early 20s are HIV-positive. But prevalence of the infection increases among gay men in older age groups.

Young men reporting unprotected sex had a higher risk of becoming infected with HIV. Separate US research found that just over 50% of young gay men with HIV reported this behavior. Younger gay men were a third more likely to report unprotected sex, and those who had only recently been diagnosed with HIV were the most likely to say that they’d had anal sex without a condom.

This research also showed that rates of sexually transmitted infections were high in this population, and that drug use was associated with unprotected sex.

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.


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