US report: HIV rates particularly high in gay black men
A report released ahead of the 19th International AIDS Conference says that black gay men in the US account for one in four new HIV infections.
The report, from the Black AIDS Institute, is titled: Back of the Line: The State of AIDS Among Black Gay Men in America.
It says that black gay men in the US are being affected by HIV more than any other group in the developed world.
According to AFP, the report says prevalence of HIV in gay black men is twice that of their white counterparts. Gay and bisexual black men are seven times more likely than non-black gay men to have undiagnosed HIV and they are less likely to be alive three years after being diagnosed with AIDS, compared to white or Latino gay or bisexual men.
Phil Wilson, the president and chief executive of the Black AIDS Institute, told AFP: “Black gay and bisexual men are still being devastated by HIV and AIDS.
“The AIDS epidemic is not over in that population. Quite frankly, it is the worst epidemic in all of the developed world, and an epidemic that rivals much of the developing world.”
He also attacked mainstream gay rights groups for not paying enough attention to the issue.
Mr Wilson said: “There are almost no national LGBT organisations today that give a rat’s ass about the lives of black gay men as they are impacted by HIV-AIDS, and that’s disgraceful.”
