Associated Press: Gay & Bisexual Men Still Top New Infection Rate Charts

MASSACHUSETTS:: "Report: Gay/Bisexual Men Still Bear Brunt of AIDS"
Associated Press (11.30.08):: Steve LeBlanc

Anti-AIDS efforts in Massachusetts have made gains in fighting the disease among heterosexuals and injection drug users, but they have been less successful among men who have sex with men (MSM), a new report shows.

The study by the state Department of Public Health (DPH) finds that MSM accounted for more than half of HIV infections between 2004 and 2006, even though annual surveys show that only 4 to 9 percent of state men report having sex with men. Among the report's findings:
*Male-to-male sex was the single biggest exposure route among the 17,295 state residents living with HIV/AIDS as of May 2008.
*HIV/AIDS was 25 times more common among MSM than among men with female partners only.
*While 68 percent of white male cases reported exposure to HIV through same-sex behavior, only 25 percent of black men and Hispanic men reported same-sex exposure.
*Condom use is up. In a 2005-06 health survey, 56 percent of MSM reported regular condom use, compared to 36 percent in 2000.

"The message of prevention is missing too many men in Massachusetts," said Kevin Cranston, director of DPH's HIV/AIDS Bureau.

While welcoming the uptick in condom use, DPH Commissioner John Auerbach said, "It is clear given the data in this report that more needs to be done with respect to reaching [MSM] with important HIV prevention messages."

The report's recommendations include:
*Free condoms should be widely distributed to MSM, including to those of high school age.
*MSM-directed HIV prevention resources should be expanded.
*Greater efforts should be made to target MSM with HIV testing, including anonymous testing.
*Prevention campaigns should reach public, private, and commercial sex venues and the Internet.
*The availability of AIDS treatments should be maintained.
For more information, visit www.mass.gov/dph/aids.