Modern Aids Treatment And Its Current Significant Reduction In Mortality
In 2018, website Managed Care declared in their article HIV/AIDS treatment drastically reduces mortality and helps to limit transmission:
| Death rates from HIV/AIDS plummeted from a high in the United States of 41,699 in 1995 to 6,456 in 2015 . HIV/AIDS treatment is a health care success story. In 1994, HIV/AIDS became the leading cause of death for Americans ages 25 to 44. About 675,000 people in the United States have died from AIDS since that first report about a mysterious lung infection in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report in 1981…
The caveats: About 40,000 Americans are newly infected every year. And HIV infection is still among the top 10 leading causes of death among Americans between the ages of 25 and 44. |
Its Much Easier To Get Hiv From Anal Sex
Its been scientifically proven that anal sex is riskier than vaginal sex when it comes to HIV. Eighteen times riskier to be exact. There are two reasons for this. First, the cells in the ass are much more susceptible to HIV than cells in the vagina. Second, both semen and rectal mucosa carry more HIV than vaginal fluid. Combine this with the fact that gay and bi guys have much more anal sex than straight guys, and youve got yourself a lot more risk right there.
But What About If Im Only A Top Or Only A Bottom
The researchers considered this in their analyses, because topping as an HIV-negative man is generally less risky than bottoming.
Here are the comparisons:
Condom effectiveness if youre bottoming
- Always use a condom: 72% effective
- Sometimes use a condom: 8% effective
Condom effectiveness if youre topping
- Always use a condom 63% effective
- Not more effective than never using a condom
The difference in condom effectiveness for topping and bottoming was not statistically significant.
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Discrimination And Homophobia Fuel The Hiv Epidemic In Gay And Bisexual Men
Psychology and AIDS Exchange Newsletter
Perry N. Halkitis, PhD, MSSteinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development, New York University Over the last 30 years, efforts to prevent new infections among have been guided by paradigms that hold individuals responsible for their health behaviors. These approaches, rooted primarily in social-cognitive frameworks , have resulted in maintaining new infections in the United States at a steady state for the last decade . In addition, the population of men who have sex with men has continued to be the only risk category for which new infections are rising . In fact, gay, bisexual, and other MSM acquire HIV at rates 44 times greater than other men and 40 times greater than women .More recently, with the game-changing breakthroughs in the biomedical arena, attention has shifted to these biomedical prevention strategies, which include preexposure prophylaxis for gay, bisexual, and other MSM and vaginal microbicides for women . In this biomedical approach, the early detection and treatment of HIV have been recommended policy for the last several years as a way to decrease community viral load. Yet even these medical advances are fraught with their own complications, not least of which are matters of uptake and adherence.
Responses To The Gay Voice
I believe that gay men use a female persona to be campy. Itâs a form of acting a part in a movie or a play, except that the audience is anyone within earshot!
This article seems to be addressing a stereotype rather than looking at why this is a topic at all.
I have always thought that gay men tend to speak far more quickly than straight men do. Of the gay friends I have/have had/I have met, they always tend to speak very quickly, compared with straight men.
I wonder if it was a genetic attribute. For example, some male singers who have higher ranges and more âfeminineâ sounding voices cannot be differentiated from a female the majority have been gay. This could further back studies that argue sexuality is a genetic attribute.
I have a family member who is gay. We are close in age and Iâve always known he was gay. Heâs always had âthe voiceââ even as a small child. It wasnât a learned thing with him, he literally sprang from the womb knowing who and what he was, just not how to articulate it. But the voice he eventually articulated it in? That had always been there.
I believe some men are born with the so-called gay-sounding voice. I knew two boys as a child who had the stereotypical lisp and came out later in life.
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You Are Being Misled About Monkeypox
Benjamin Ryan has been covering infectious disease and LGBTQ health for two decades and contributes to the New York Times, NBC News, the Guardian and Thomson Reuters Foundation.
Anyone can get monkeypox.
Countless public health experts haveutteredstatements such as this in the past two months. Members of themedia and politicians have parroted the message ad nauseam without stopping to dissect what it implies or obscures.
This broad-strokes maxim that everyone on Earth is susceptible to this troubling viral infection might be factual on its surface. But it is so egregiously misleading it amounts to misinformation.
Those who make such statements dont intend harm. On the contrary, leaders at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization and elsewhere repeat them because they commendably want to combat the societal stigma faced by gay and bisexual men, who have been disproportionately impacted by monkeypox. They know that stigma harmspublichealth, including by discouraging infectious-disease testing. And they dont want the rest of the public to be complacent in the face of a potential new pandemic.
But as these public health experts know well, epidemiology is less concerned with whethersomeone could contract an infection instead, the much more vital questions focus on which groups of people are most likely to be exposed to a pathogen, to contract it and why. In public health statistics, this is the study of relative risk.
Hiv And Aids: What Are The Risks For Gay Men
The number of people with HIV in the UK is rising, and gay men are one of the highest risk groups.
In 2015, about 101,000 people in the UK were living with HIV. About 13,500 of them don’t know they have it and are at risk of passing on the virus.
HIV attacks the immune system, the body’s defence against infection and disease.
This means someone with HIV has a higher risk of getting a serious infection or disease, such as cancer.
Take the sexual health self-assessment test to see if your sex life is putting you at risk of contracting HIV.
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Is Monkeypox A Sexually Transmitted Infection
Much of the discussion about monkeypox in recent weeks has focused on the fact that its being detected among gay and bisexual men.
That has led many to think that monkeypox is a sexually transmitted infection, but thats not the full picture. Dr Claire Dewsnap is president of the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV she says its likely spread through close contact with infected skin.
One thing that we dont know for certain yet is whether the reason were seeing it in gay men is because theyre going to clinics, Dr Dewsnap tells PinkNews. Its very common for a gay man whos been sexually active with a new partner to think, Ive got a funny rash, it could be syphilis, it could be herpes, Ill go to my clinic.
We need to be very careful to remember that its a virus thats spread through close contact and the vast majority of monkeypox cases have been in the heterosexual community in Africa.
According to the WHO, it is not yet known if monkeypox can be passed on directly through sex the organisation says more studies are needed to understand the risk but its likely that its simply passed on through close contact. Naturally, that means a person could still contract the virus while having sex with somebody whos carrying it, but that doesnt make it a sexually transmitted infection.
I Think I’ve Got Monkeypox
If you have a new and unusual sore or rash it’s advised that you contact your local sexual-health clinic, but don’t turn up for an in-person appointment unannounced.
Those who are most at risk after coming into contact with a confirmed monkeypox case are urged to isolate at home for up to three weeks.
Most infections clear up on their own without any treatment but if you think you have monkeypox you’re still urged to tell your doctor.
As it can take three weeks for symptoms to appear, it’s likely the number of diagnosed cases will grow.
And while the UKHSA acknowledges that the outbreak is “significant and concerning”, it says the risk to people in the UK remains low.
It’s hoped the virus is rare enough that it can be contained.
Dr Prochazka says when a new threat enters a network of people “we do our best to suppress it. I think we are still at that stage where we can do that and really respond to this”.
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Restrictions On Access To Services
The homophobia that LGBTI people face in their daily lives â plus the criminalisation of same-sex relationships, cross-dressing, sodomy and âgender impersonationâ â stops many LGBTI people from accessing HIV prevention, testing, treatment and care services. As a result, some LGBTI people with HIV do not know they have it, or they get diagnosed late when HIV is harder to treat.
Sexual Health For Gay And Bisexual Men
Having unprotected penetrative sex is the most likely way to pass on a sexually transmitted infection .
Using a condom helps protect against HIV and lowers the risk of getting many other STIs.
A survey of gay and bisexual men by Stonewall revealed that 1 in 3 men had never had an HIV test, and 1 in 4 had never been tested for any STI.
Men who have sex with men should have a check-up at least every 6 months at a sexual health or genitourinary medicine clinic. This is important, as some STIs do not cause any symptoms.
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Use A Barrier Method During Sex
Condoms and other barrier methods can protect against HIV and other sexually transmitted infections .
If you have HIV or another STI, getting treatment and using a condom or other barrier method every time you have sex can reduce the risk of transmission.
If you dont have an STI, you can protect yourself from acquiring an STI by using a condom or other barrier method every time you have sex.
Also, its important to buy the right size condom for you and to use it properly.
Hiv Infection Rates In The Us
The HIV virus affects the human immune system and, if left untreated can eventually lead to Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome .
The CDC reported that in 2009 that male-to-male sex accounted for 61% of all new HIV infections in the U.S. and that those who had a history of recreational drug injection accounted for an additional 3% of new infections. Among the approximately 784,701 people living with an HIV diagnosis, 396,810 were MSM. About 48% of MSM living with an HIV diagnosis were white, 30% were black, and 19% were Hispanic or Latino. Although the majority of MSM are white, non-whites accounted for 54% of new infections HIV related MSM infections in 2008.
In 2010 the CDC reported that MSM represented approximately 4 percent of the male population in the United States but male-to-male sex accounted for 78 percent of new HIV infections among men and 63 percent of all new infections. Men overall accounted for 76% of all adults and adolescents living with HIV infection at the end of 2010 in the United States, and 80% of the estimated 47,500 new HIV infections. 69% of men living with HIV were gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men. 39% of new HIV infections in US men were in blacks, 35% were in whites, and 22% were in Hispanics/Latinos. The rate of estimated new HIV infections among black men was 103.6six and a half times that of white men and more than twice the rate among Hispanic/Latino men as of 2010.
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Is There A Risk That The Monkeypox Conversation Could Stigmatise The Lgbtq+ Community
The misconception that monkeypox is an STI is already spreading rapidly, which can further stigmatise already affected communities. Dr Dewsnap says the notion is potentially harmful.
As we know, talking about STIs is stigmatising, and thats worse in some populations than others. It can be potentially harmful and it can prevent people from coming forward with symptoms because they can think that having an STI is something to be afraid or guilty of.
Dr Dewsnap says its vital we challenge those misconceptions about monkeypox and the current outbreak in the UK and Europe.
We dont want the idea that this is an STI to stick because that certainly hasnt been proven. We do know that this particular funny cluster of monkeypox has behaved unusually, differently than we would expect it to, but it hasnt been identified as an STI and we shouldnt see it that way.
Does Hiv Affect Gay And Bisexual Men
In the United States, gay and bisexual men are the population most affected by HIV. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , in 2019, adult and adolescent gay and bisexual men accounted for 69% of the new HIV diagnoses in the United States and dependent areas.
In the United States, gay and bisexual men are the populationmost affected by HIV.
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If Youre A Straight Man You Will Almost Certainly Not Contact Hiv In Fact The Risk Is So Low That It Doesnt Make Sense To Fret Over It
Although the government and media treats HIV like a crisis impacting all, thats a lie. HIV is not a disease that straight men who have sex with straight women need to concern themselves with. This CDC chart lists new infections by demographics age, race, and gender.
MSM in the chart means men who have sex with men. IDU means intravenous drug users i.e., filthy druggies.
As you can see in the chart, HIV impacts :
- White men who have sex with men
- Black men who have sex with men
- Hispanic men who have sex with men
- Black heterosexual women
- Black male intravenous drug users
- Black female intravenous drug users
Do All Gay People Have Aids
By | Oct. 11, 2010, 6:53 p.m.
Category:
Do all gay people have AIDS?
No, absolutely not. HIV the human immunodeficiency virus that causes AIDS can infect anyone who has unprotected sex or shares IV drug equipment with someone who has HIV. It doesnt matter if a person is gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, or straight. Both women and men get HIV. In fact, the fastest growing group of people with HIV is heterosexual women.
These are the other ways a person can get HIV:
- getting HIV-infected blood, semen, or vaginal secretions into open wounds or sores
- being deeply punctured with a needle or surgical instrument contaminated with the virus
HIV can also be passed from a woman to her fetus during pregnancy or birth.
Planned Parenthood delivers vital reproductive health care, sex education, and information to millions of people worldwide. Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. is a registered 501 nonprofit under EIN 13-1644147. Donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowable under the law.
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How Do You Get Or Transmit Hiv
You can only get HIV by coming into direct contact with certain body fluids from a person with HIV who has a detectable viral load. These fluids are:
- Blood
- Semen and pre-seminal fluid
- Rectal fluids
- Vaginal fluids
- Breast milk
For transmission to occur, the HIV in these fluids must get into the bloodstream of an HIV-negative person through a mucous membrane , through open cuts or sores, or by direct injection .
People with HIV who take HIV medicine as prescribed and get and keep an undetectable viral load can live long and healthy lives and will not transmit HIV to their HIV-negative partnersthrough sex.
A Complex Interplay Of Factors
While a few interviewees explained their infection in termsof a single factor, most participants thought that a combination of factors contributedto risk behaviours and HIV infection.
The sex and the drugs and the apps all intertwinedsimultaneously and I cant really say which one led to the other.
The researchers note that there was often an interplaybetween individual, community and structural factors. For example, one man inhis twenties felt that his self-harming sexual behaviours stemmed fromchildhood and a violent relationship with his mother, but also highlighted therole of the abusive environment, including gay saunas.
I think with the sex, I think itsenvironment,especially in South London. The increase of risk sex, chemsex, is becoming anepidemic, in my opinion. You hear of so many young gay men now who arepositiveand through this lifestyle. Its very hedonistic, really nastyIthink, subsequently, living in South London has made me get HIV.
Psychological issuesand drug use were often mentioned in combination. For example, a man in hisforties identified the important factors in his HIV infection as:
The drugsbut also depression because I didnt careabout taking risksI gave up.
Some participantswho had experienced stressful events suggested that changing perceptions of HIVhad consciously, or subconsciously, influenced their behaviour. Risk-benefitdecisions were altered.
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