August 23rd, 2016
According to latest statistics, African-American men who engage in unprotected sex with other men are at higher risk of getting HIV infection when compared with other races. For example, based on a study conducted in the 5 major metropolitan regions and among 2261 men, investigators identified that the prevalence of HIV in African-American MSM (men who have sex with men) is 46% compared with 17% in Hispanic MSM and 21% among white MSM (1). Even more alarming is the fact that the risk is even greater in younger African-American MSM. Based on a new study reported in the Journal of Adolescent Health (1), investigators discovered that young African-American homosexual men (aged 18-24 years) are approximately 5-times more likely to contract HIV infection when compared with white or Hispanic homosexual men.
So far little is known about the exact cause of this disparity in the prevalence of HIV, but a lot of research is being done to explore the possible risk factors.
Investigators suggested that several factors can play a role in explaining this strong racial disparity in the prevalence of HIV infection. For example:
According to latest data reported by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it was reported that the diagnoses of HIV cases in young African-American men has increased by about 87% from 2005 to 2014 (3). The report also suggested that one out of two African American men are at risk of getting diagnosed with HIV infection during their lifetime. Therefore, it is imperative to mention that there is a strong need to expand education and counseling efforts to at-risk population.
Here are some strategies that CDC is undertaking to control growing risk of HIV in the young African-American population:
1. Harawa, N. T., Greenland, S., Bingham, T. A., Johnson, D. F., Cochran, S. D., Cunningham, W. E., … & McFarland, W. (2004). Associations of race/ethnicity with HIV prevalence and HIV-related behaviors among young men who have sex with men in 7 urban centers in the United States. JAIDS Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, 35(5), 526-536.
2. Fields, E. L., Bogart, L. M., Smith, K. C., Malebranche, D. J., Ellen, J., & Schuster, M. A. (2012). HIV risk and perceptions of masculinity among young black men who have sex with men. Journal of Adolescent Health, 50(3), 296-303.
3. Maulsby, C., Millett, G., Lindsey, K., Kelley, R., Johnson, K., Montoya, D., & Holtgrave, D. (2014). HIV among black men who have sex with men (MSM) in the United States: a review of the literature. AIDS and Behavior, 18(1), 10-25.