 | | | | Related Healthscout Videos | |
|
Page: << Prev | 1 | 2 Another study in the same journal examines HIV infection rates in South Beach, an area of Miami Beach in Florida. South Beach is known as a largely gay neighborhood, and reports in the press have suggested it is especially popular among HIV-positive gay men who come there to " party and live out their final days," says study co-author William W. Darrow, a professor of public health at Florida International University.
Researchers surveyed 2,622 homes seeking young gay and bisexual men. They recruited 100 men between the ages of 18 and 29.
Forty-five percent said they'd had unprotected anal sex within the past 12 months, and 31 percent had done so with at least one casual sex partner. Fifteen percent of the men tested positive for the AIDS virus.
Text Continues Below
The researchers calculated that 6.3 percent of young gay and bisexual men in South Beach are becoming infected with HIV each year, one of the highest rates in the country.
It's clear that many HIV-positive men in South Beach have sex with men who might be uninfected, Darrow says. "They often assume that their sexual partners are well aware of their risks."
But why would the HIV-negative men put themselves at risk? Part of the problem may be that gay men are losing their fear of AIDS, Herman says, and don't realize the disease is still "no picnic." Last year, his organization sponsored a San Francisco advertising campaign that emphasized several unpleasant symptoms of AIDS drug treatment -- diarrhea, gaunt facial features, fat deposits on the belly and night sweats.
"You hear it's a chronic manageable illness like diabetes or hypertension, and people get unrealistic expectations of life with HIV," Herman said. "We need to educate people about why it's really not a good thing to become infected with the virus."
More information
To learn more about HIV and AIDS and treatments, visit the U.S. ( Page: << Prev | 1 | 2
|
.gif)
