Gay
men and other men who have sex with men (MSM) remain particularly vulnerable to
HIV infection. By the end of 2009, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC), an estimated 296,222 MSM with an AIDS diagnosis
had died in the U.S. since the beginning of the epidemic. And in 2010, MSM
accounted for 51% of estimated AIDS diagnoses among all adults and adolescents
in the U.S.
September 27 is National
Gay Men’s HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. Launched in 2008 by the National Association
of People with AIDS (NAPWA), this day is intended
to help gay men remember how much has been accomplished in the fight against
HIV/AIDS, honor those who have passed, and renew our collective commitment to
ending the epidemic.
Earlier this month,
amfAR released an issue brief—“Ending
the HIV Epidemic Among Gay Men in the United States”—that details recent
science and policy advances that are key to turning the tide in the domestic gay
HIV epidemic. The brief argues that more frequent HIV testing and linkage to
appropriate care, in combination with traditional prevention measures such as
consistent use of condoms and safer sex practices, are needed to bring down HIV
incidence among gay men. It calls for systematic changes to reduce barriers to
HIV testing and treatment for gay men, including expanded provider education and
training, insurance coverage, and utilization of new testing technologies.
“Data show that we won’t
reverse the AIDS epidemic in the U.S. unless we focus specifically on gay men,
who shoulder a disproportionate burden of new infections,” said amfAR CEO Kevin
Robert Frost. “Current HIV incidence trends suggest that the epidemic among gay
men could take a turn for the worse, reversing what little progress has been
made and threatening a new generation of young men. We can’t let that happen.”
NAPWA will commemorate
the fifth annual observance of National Gay Men’s HIV/AIDS Awareness Day with a
prayer breakfast, press conference, and all-day HIV testing in Washington, D.C.
For a schedule of 2012 events, click here.