CDC: HIV Down in General Population but Surging with Gay, Bisexual Males

CDC: HIV Down in General Population but Surging with Gay, Bisexual Males

by William Bigelow 20 Jul 2014, 6:45 AM PDT

http://cdn.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2014/07/19/CDC-HIV-Way-Up-with-Gay-and-Bisexual-Males

A new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that although the annual diagnosis rate of HIV has dropped by one-third in the general population, the percentage is increasing among young gay and bisexual males.

HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, has been dropping among heterosexuals, drug users, and women, but the rate for young gay and bisexual males has risen over 100%.

Co-author Amy Lansky, deputy director for surveillance, epidemiology, and laboratory sciences at the CDC's Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, said that because the AIDS epidemic was first reported in the 1980s, young people are inured to the disease’s preponderance. She said, "It's been more than 30 years since the first cases were reported. It's harder to maintain that sense of urgency."

To make matters worse, the cases studied in the CDC report only dealt with those actually diagnosed with HIV, and health officials estimate there are many more cases where people have the infection unknowingly. Another problem is that the data collected does not include the date when the disease was contracted, which makes determining trends of the disease difficult to pinpoint.

Lansky admitted that the increased occurrences of HIV among young gay and bisexual males are "a considerable problem." She said 1.1 million people in the U.S. are estimated to have contracted HIV and added that 16% of that number—roughly 176,000 people—don’t know they have the disease.

The CDC report, published in the July 23/30 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that in the period between 2002 to 2011, among people 13 and older, the diagnosis of HIV fell from 24 out of every 100,000 people to 16, a 33% drop. Women saw the number of diagnoses cut in half; men dropped by 25%, blacks plunged 37%, and Hispanics dropped 41%. Among those who had heterosexual sex, the number dropped more than 33% for men and women.

But among males 13-24, the number of HIV diagnoses soared. New diagnoses climbed from 3,000 to 7,000.

Lansky said that targeting the young gay and bisexual males was the next step, asserting, "The increases tell us where we need to keep putting our efforts. To build on the progress that we've made, we're really starting to focus on those who are in greatest need."

Dr. David Margolis, an AIDS specialist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, wants to give HIV drugs to that same population even if they have not contracted the disease. He said, "The use of antivirals to prevent HIV infection is fraught with many challenges, but if there is a more than doubling of new infections in one demographic, perhaps something needs to be done."

Others claim giving the drug to those who are not infected would further encourage promiscuous sex.

HIV/AIDS

Helene D. Gayle was the director of HIV & TB & reproductive health for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and is a director at the New America Foundation.

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation was a funder for the Debt AIDS Trade Africa, the Pangaea Global AIDS Foundation, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the New America Foundation, and the International Rescue Committee.

J. Brian Atwood was an administrator for the U.S. Agency for International Development, and is a director at Population Services International.

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the New America Foundation, the International Rescue Committee, the Robin Hood Foundation, and the Harlem Children's Zone.

George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society, a benefactor at the Harlem Children's Zone, and is Daisy M. Soros’s brother-in-law.

Daisy M. Soros is George Soros’s sister-in-law, and a leader’s council member for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

Joan H. Tisch is a leader’s council member for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, and a lifetime trustee at the Gay Men's Health Crisis.

Kenneth R. French is a director at the International Rescue Committee, and the professor of finance at the Tuck School of Business.

Carol L. Folt is an overseer at the Tuck School of Business, and the chancellor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Clifford S. Asness is a director at the International Rescue Committee, supported same-sex marriage in New York, and a leadership council member at the Robin Hood Foundation.

Michael R. Bloomberg was a donor for the Robin Hood Foundation, a benefactor at the Harlem Children's Zone, the New York (NY) mayor, is Emma Bloomberg’s father, and the founder of the Bloomberg Family Foundation.

Emma Bloomberg was the senior planning officer for the Robin Hood Foundation, is Michael R. Bloomberg’s daughter, and a director at the Bloomberg Family Foundation.

Bloomberg Family Foundation was a funder for the CDC Foundation.

CDC Foundation is a foundation for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).