(AP Image)
(CNSNews.com) -- Men who have sex with men comprise about 2% of the U.S. population but they are the risk group most affected by HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in their latest Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).
The CDC also states that, “Most gay and bisexual men acquire HIV through anal sex, which is the riskiest type of sex for getting or transmitting HIV.”
In the Sept. 26 MMWR, the CDC states, “Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM) represent approximately 2% of the United States population, yet are the risk group most affected by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).”
“In 2010,” says the CDC, “among persons newly infected with HIV, 63% were MSM” and “among persons living with HIV, 52% were MSM.”
Gay rainbow flag. (AP Photo)
In noting that Sept. 27 was “National Gay Men’s HIV/AIDS Awareness Day,” the CDC further said it wanted to “direct attention to the continuing and disproportionate impact of human immunodeficiency virus infection (HIV) and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) on gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM) in the United States.”
In addition to reporting that most homosexual men “acquire HIV through anal sex,” the CDC website says, “Having more sex partners compared to other men means gay and bisexual men have more opportunities to have sex with someone who can transmit HIV or another STD. Similarly, among gay men, those who have more partners are more likely to acquire HIV.”
Despite federal spending to combat AIDS and the ongoing efforts of the CDC, the health agency reported that between 2008 and 2010, “new HIV infections increased 22% among young (aged 13-24) gay and bisexual men and 12% among gay and bisexual men overall,” regardless of age.