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Gay News: A new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tested 8,000 gay men and found 20% had HIV.
By: Nigel Robinson
Half do not know they have HIV
Half do not know they have HIV
One in five gay men in USA has HIV
24 September 2010
Of that number, almost half did not know that they were carrying the virus.
Young sexually active gay men were the least likely to know of their status.
The report suggests several reasons why the infected men were unaware of their status.
These include never having been tested, underestimating their personal risk, having been infected recently, or believing that advances in treatment minimised the threat of contracting HIV.
Some men may also have chosen not to be tested for fear of what they might learn, said Kevin Fenton of the National Center for HIV/ AIDS Prevention.
“We must confront fear,” he said. “Finding out you have HIV is hard, but not knowing is even worse and puts your life and others’ lives at risk.”
The findings have been released at a time when infection rates are rising among gay men, and falling in other at-risk groups such as heterosexuals and intravenous drug users.
