Health

Shocking HIV Statistics Released

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

January 31, 2002 / 8:41 AM EST / CBS

A recent study that tested 2,400 gay men between the ages of 23 and 29 for HIV in six cities across the country found that 30% of blacks tested positive for the disease, followed by 15% of Hispanics, 7% of whites, and 3% of Asians.

Doctors, patient advocates, and leaders in the gay community are calling these statistics a national tragedy, saying the numbers prove the message about safe sex is not getting through, especially in minority communities.

Dr. Anke Ehrhardt is the director of the HIV Center at the New York Psychiatric Institute.

She says the results of this study indicate a grave epidemic.

"[That] 30% of young gay black men [are] infected is startling and really makes it comparable to the worst areas of the epidemic like sub-Saharan Africa, where every fourth person in some countries is [infected,]" she says.

CBS 2's Paul Moniz reports that outreach efforts by the black church to curb HIV infections are having some effect. One program, called Get Tested, encourages early testing among blacks.

"We're trying to get the message out in as many places as possible so that it can be reinforced," says Gabriel Stover, a Get Tested coordinator.

Minority gays are hit with a double whammy. They've slacked off prevention efforts, as in most gay communities, because drug cocktails are reducing AIDS deaths, fostering dangerous complacency.

The problem is compounded because many minority gay men are in denial about their homosexuality and either do not heed or do not get the right messages about safe sex.

"Often the stigma is even greater in a minority population so it's hard for young minority men to come forward and get help," Dr. Ehrhardt says.

Experts say bisexuality is more common in minority communities because of the stigma associated with being gay. As a result, everyone in the sexual path of infected men is at risk, including women and their unborn children.

Community outreach workers say black churches, black schools, and minority politicians must get more involved and encourage people to talk frankly about HIV and remove the stigma so those at risk have enough self-worth to practice safe sex.