AEGiS-BAYW: No easy answers on HIV increase among MSM

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2005. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

No easy answers on HIV increase among MSM

Bay Windows - November 24, 2005
Ethan Jacobs, ejacobs@baywindows.com.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a report Nov. 18 showing the results of their national HIV surveillance from 2001 to 2004, and as in previous studies the report found that male-to-male sexual contact was the highest mode of transmission, accounting for 44 percent of newly diagnosed HIV cases over those four years.

"Overall men who have sex with men (MSM) continue to account for the largest proportion of diagnoses among any risk group," said Dr. Lisa Lee, senior epidemiologist at the Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention at the CDC's National Center for HIV, STD and TB Prevention. "Among males specifically the majority of diagnoses occurred among MSM."

While reported HIV infections decreased among IV drug users and heterosexuals over that period, they remained steady among men who have sex with men (MSM) and actually increased by eight percent between 2003 and 2004. Lee said the reason for that increase is unclear. It could mean that men are engaging in more risky behavior, leading to increased HIV transmission. Yet she said it could also be caused by an increase in HIV testing, rather than an increase in HIV incidence, or it could be a combination of the two factors.

The report is the CDC's most comprehensive yet, as it is the first to include data from New York State, along with 32 other states. Massachusetts is not included in the report because it does not used name-based reporting to track HIV cases. According to data from the HIV/AIDS Bureau of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, the reported diagnoses among males where male-to-male sexual contact was the primary mode of exposure increased from 40 percent in 1999 to 48 percent in 2003 but decreased to 45 percent in 2004.

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