The Shocking Second HIV Epidemic Among U.S. Gay Men That No One Is Talking About

[xchrom]

http://www.alternet.org/activism/shocking-second-hiv-epidemic-among-us-gay-men-no-one-talking-about



Pop quiz, no cheating allowed: if you had to guess, would you say that HIV and AIDS rates among gay men in the United States are A) declining, B) remaining stable, or C) rising?

The correct answer is C) rising, at an alarming 8% per year . HIV incidence -- that is, the proportion of a population infected -- among gay men in the United States rises by that amount every year since at least 2001. Overall, this incidence, at 15.4% cumulatively, is just slightly lower than the incidence among gay men in Sub -Saharan Africa . And there’s a good case to be made that the real numbers are actually higher; for instance, we know they’re higher in some major metropolitan areas, where the incidence among MSM (men who have sex with men) is one in five. In San Francisco, it may be as high as one in four.

Overall, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that between 400,000 and 500,000 gay men in the United States carried the virus in 2009, the most recent year for which data are available. Chillingly, gay and bisexual men are the only demographic to experience a rise in HIV infection rates.

These are astonishing facts. The AIDS epidemic is now over three decades old and has taken over 600,000 lives in the U.S. alone. That’s more casualties than were seen in the entire Civil War. It’s also noteworthy that new infections in the U.S. are numerically stable overall, at roughly 50,000 a year over the last decade or so -- a number seemingly impervious to public or private prevention efforts.

[graham4anything]

1. I had a friend who died from AIDS

and the reason was he was under control for more than 12 years with the drug regimen

then lost his job in NYC after 9/11, kept his insurance going through COBRAserv and then private, until the 15% gain each and every year made it impossible

and his pride did not let him tell anyone he no longer could afford them, or to go to the doctor, as his dozens of friends would have bought them for him.

it came back deadly and he is gone.

Remember, the first generation of AIDS (not so coincidentally mostly liberals), was devastatingly demolished while Ronald Reagan slept. And nothing being done about health insurance til President Obama made it impossibly expensive if one lost their job.

the drugs should be free and easy to get worldwide, INCLUDING the USA.

[closeupready]

2. Additionally, consider all those who don't even HAVE insurance

in the first place.

In that circumstance, how much sense does it make to get tested for a disease for which you likely believe you won't get treatment or medications?

I've heard arguments both for and against, and both sides have compelling reasons.

[pinto]

3. Sorry for the loss of your friend. For future reference, if you know others

who can't afford HIV meds, encourage them to access ADAP (AIDS Drug Assistance Program). Info on eligibility and enrollment in NY State is here -

http://www.health.ny.gov/diseases/aids/resources/adap/eligibility.htm

Take care.