CDC: HIV rates high among young gay men, many unaware they're infected... [View all]

[Indi Guy]

Source: CBS NEWS

To achieve an AIDS-free generation, the federal government is setting its sights on America's youth, a segment of the population with high infection rates -- and low testing rates.

Of the estimated 12,200 new HIV infections that occurred in 2010 in the 13-to-24 age group, 72 percent were in young men who have sex with men (MSM) and 57 percent occurred in black Americans.

More than half of all youths infected -- 60 percent -- don't even realize they have the disease, the new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed.

"That so many young people become infected with HIV each year is a preventable tragedy," CDC director Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, said in a written statement. "All young people can protect their health, avoid contracting and transmitting the virus, and learn their HIV status."

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[font size="1"]By Ryan Jaslow / CBS News/ November 27, 2012, 2:37 PM[/font]

Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-204_162-57554994/cdc-hiv-rates-high-among-young-gay-men-many-unaware-theyre-infected/