BloodEclipse
Grandmaster
By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Editor
Thu Sep 11, 2:37 PM ET
AIDS remains largely a disease of gay and bisexual men in the United States but also disproportionately infects black women, according to an analysis published on Thursday.
Last month, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that more than 56,000 people in the United States become newly infected with the human immunodeficiency virus each year, far more than previous estimates of about 40,000.
Now the CDC has further analyzed those numbers to find the fatal and incurable virus largely infects men who have sex with men, or MSM -- a group that includes gays, bisexuals and men who may have the occasional sexual encounter with other men.
"The male-to-male sexual contact transmission category represented 72 percent of new infections among males, including 81 percent of new infections among whites, 63 percent among blacks, and 72 percent among Hispanics," the report said.
Of the new infections in 2006, more than half were among gay and bisexual men, the CDC found. Of these, 46 percent of new infections were among whites, 35 percent among blacks and 19 percent in Hispanics.
But among the overall U.S. population, more blacks are affected -- 46 percent of new infections were among blacks.
The CDC said it needed to redouble prevention efforts, especially in the black community.
"The alarming number of new infections among young black MSM underscores the need to ensure that each new generation has the knowledge and skills to prevent HIV infection beginning early in their lives," the report reads.
Girls and women made up 27 percent of new infections, with high-risk sexual contact with men causing 80 percent of new infections.
"Among females, 61 percent of infections were in blacks, 23 percent were in whites, and 16 percent were in Hispanics," the CDC report reads.
There is no cure for the AIDS virus, which is transmitted in bodily fluids such as blood, semen and breast milk. Around the world, sexual contact is by far the most common mode of transmission although people who use contaminated needles can be infected, and blood transfusions also can cause infection.
"African-Americans make up 12 percent of the total U.S. population, yet represented 45 percent of new HIV infections in the United States in 2006," the CDC wrote.
Globally, 33 million people are infected with HIV and 25 million have died of it. There is no vaccine or cure although drug cocktails can help control the infection.
(Editing by Will Dunham and Ross Colvin)
Do we really need to keep spending money on educating people what causes AIDS? I'm pretty sure most who have it, knew what caused it before they became infected. People choose to have risky unprotected sex. As we have discussed earlier what does the government have to do with this? As long as the sex is between consenting adults. Except maybe the fact they might become a burden on the taxpayer funded medical treatment they will most likely get.
New infections:56000 total
Men 73% 40,880 Women 27% 15120
White Men 46% 18805 White Women 23% 3478
Black Men 35% 14308 Black Women 61% 9223
Hispanic Men 19% 7767 Hispanic Women 16%2419
If 72% of the male infections were MSM the remaining 28% was from drug use or contact with a female.
I like to look at numbers sometimes they mean something and sometimes they mean nothing at all. At a meeting we had at my plant they told us we needed to stay in the marked walkways because pedestrian/forktruck accidents happen 19% of the time when people were not where they were supposed to be.
I said hell I'll be walking down the center of the aisle, because it is safer than the 81% of the time that the accidents happened, where people were supposed to be.
Thu Sep 11, 2:37 PM ET
AIDS remains largely a disease of gay and bisexual men in the United States but also disproportionately infects black women, according to an analysis published on Thursday.
Last month, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that more than 56,000 people in the United States become newly infected with the human immunodeficiency virus each year, far more than previous estimates of about 40,000.
Now the CDC has further analyzed those numbers to find the fatal and incurable virus largely infects men who have sex with men, or MSM -- a group that includes gays, bisexuals and men who may have the occasional sexual encounter with other men.
"The male-to-male sexual contact transmission category represented 72 percent of new infections among males, including 81 percent of new infections among whites, 63 percent among blacks, and 72 percent among Hispanics," the report said.
Of the new infections in 2006, more than half were among gay and bisexual men, the CDC found. Of these, 46 percent of new infections were among whites, 35 percent among blacks and 19 percent in Hispanics.
But among the overall U.S. population, more blacks are affected -- 46 percent of new infections were among blacks.
The CDC said it needed to redouble prevention efforts, especially in the black community.
"The alarming number of new infections among young black MSM underscores the need to ensure that each new generation has the knowledge and skills to prevent HIV infection beginning early in their lives," the report reads.
Girls and women made up 27 percent of new infections, with high-risk sexual contact with men causing 80 percent of new infections.
"Among females, 61 percent of infections were in blacks, 23 percent were in whites, and 16 percent were in Hispanics," the CDC report reads.
There is no cure for the AIDS virus, which is transmitted in bodily fluids such as blood, semen and breast milk. Around the world, sexual contact is by far the most common mode of transmission although people who use contaminated needles can be infected, and blood transfusions also can cause infection.
"African-Americans make up 12 percent of the total U.S. population, yet represented 45 percent of new HIV infections in the United States in 2006," the CDC wrote.
Globally, 33 million people are infected with HIV and 25 million have died of it. There is no vaccine or cure although drug cocktails can help control the infection.
(Editing by Will Dunham and Ross Colvin)
Do we really need to keep spending money on educating people what causes AIDS? I'm pretty sure most who have it, knew what caused it before they became infected. People choose to have risky unprotected sex. As we have discussed earlier what does the government have to do with this? As long as the sex is between consenting adults. Except maybe the fact they might become a burden on the taxpayer funded medical treatment they will most likely get.
New infections:56000 total
Men 73% 40,880 Women 27% 15120
White Men 46% 18805 White Women 23% 3478
Black Men 35% 14308 Black Women 61% 9223
Hispanic Men 19% 7767 Hispanic Women 16%2419
If 72% of the male infections were MSM the remaining 28% was from drug use or contact with a female.
Does this mean 20% was from needles?
I like to look at numbers sometimes they mean something and sometimes they mean nothing at all. At a meeting we had at my plant they told us we needed to stay in the marked walkways because pedestrian/forktruck accidents happen 19% of the time when people were not where they were supposed to be.
I said hell I'll be walking down the center of the aisle, because it is safer than the 81% of the time that the accidents happened, where people were supposed to be.
