Polonius3:
Bratwurstfresser! Does someone have to dump garbage into your back garden for you to become concerned about toxic wastes? Or other environemtnal concerns, the crime rate (even though you have not been a victim recently), or what school chidlren are taught or whether "recreational" drugs should be legalised, etc., etc.?I guess some people do not see beyond the ends of their own noses. If you can't eat, drink, wear drive or f*** it, who cares!?
But I do understand why you may be surprised by some of this information -- because it's something new, it's not what the general public is exposed to, it's not the Hollywoodised version of reality.
Unless you dismiss the findings of US government specialists, read on:
In the United States, HIV infection and AIDS have had a tremendous effect on men who have sex with men (MSM). MSM accounted for 71% of all HIV infections among male adults and adolescents in 2005 (based on data from 33 states with long-term, confidential name-based HIV reporting), even though only about 5% to 7% of male adults and adolescents in the United States identify themselves as MSM [1, 2].
The number of HIV diagnoses for MSM decreased during the 1980s and 1990s, but recent surveillance data show an increase in HIV diagnoses for this group [3, 4]. Additionally, racial disparities exist with regard to HIV diagnoses within the MSM population. A recent study, conducted in 5 large US cities, found that HIV prevalence among black MSM (46%) was more than twice that among white MSM (21%) [5].
The recent overall increase in HIV diagnoses for MSM, coupled with racial disparities, strongly points to a continued need for appropriate prevention and education services tailored for specific subgroups of MSM, especially those who are members of minority races/ethnicities.
CDC. HIV/AIDS Surveillance Report, 2005. Vol. 17. Rev ed. Atlanta: US Department of Health and Human Services, CDC: 2007:1–46. Accessed June 28, 2007.