Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2007. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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Washington Blade - November 22, 2007
Juan Carlos Rodriguez
The study found that one in every 22 men who have sex with other men in Florida were HIV positive last year. The study broke down the data according to race and ethnicity. It found that one in 29 white men, one in 12 black men, one in 18 Latino men and one in 20 Native American or mixed ethnic men were HIV positive.
Senior epidemiologist, Spencer Lieb, said the report is meant to serve as a "wake up call" at a time when the public is becoming complacent about the realities of HIV.
"This is acknowledgement that there is a crisis," Lieb said, referring to the study aimed at MSM titled "Out in the Open." "ItÆs nothing new, but itÆs time to ramp up prevention activities and strategies to have positive impact among MSM and reducing the infection rates."
Lieb said the study is the first attempt to define MSM, an elusive group of men who are hard to identify because they often do not identify themselves as gay.
"Nobody had taken a stab at calculating rates by MSM," Lieb said.
The risk level is 10 times greater among MSM compared to men who do not have sex with other men, Lieb said. Infection rates are highest in Miami-Dade, Broward, Orange and Hillsborough counties.
Social stigma and homophobia play a major role in the transmission rates in each of the categories, Lieb said.
"It fuels the epidemic by creating denial of risk and fear of finding out," Lieb said.
To address the issue, the study recommends a broad-based approach that includes marketing strategies to keep HIV/AIDS in the public eye as well as coordinating efforts in each county to reach out to MSM in specific communities.
The state appointed Lorenzo Robertson to serve as the first Statewide MSM Coordinator for black men. Similar positions to coordinate prevention efforts among men who have sex with men are being appointed throughout the state. Coordinators have already been appointed in Miami-Dade and Broward counties, Lieb said.
The efforts will call public attention to the high infection rates with the goal of normalizing the idea of HIV testing and treatment without the stigma, Lieb said.
"We felt if we could put together a report of solid data and recommendations that it might serve as a wake-up call to mobilize leaders to form strategies," Lieb said.
The report underscores the need for men who have sex with men to get tested, Lieb said.
"They are very difficult to reach," Lieb said. "ItÆs better to raise consciousness with hard data about infection rates than mongering fear."
Because there is no census data to calculate how many men there are who have sex with other men, the health department estimated that 10 percent of the stateÆs male population engages in sex with other men.
The stateÆs health department will be releasing a report Dec. 1 that estimates the number of MSM in Miami-Dade County at 7.5 percent and looks at infection rates, Lieb said.
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