|
|  |
|
|
MEN OF COLOR WHO HAVE SEX WITH MEN AND HIV/AIDS
 |
To
order free copies of the 2008 Ryan White
Grantee folder and fact sheets, call 1.888.ASK.HRSA
or order
online.
|
On
this page...
| |
| SURVEILLANCE |
- In
2006, an estimated 26,989 men were diagnosed
with AIDS in the United States. Male-to-male
sexual contact was the HIV transmission
category in an estimated 59.3 percent
of those cases.1 Men of color
represented one-half (49.3 percent) of
estimated AIDS cases related to the male-to-male
sexual contact transmission category.3
Men of color also accounted for 55 percent
of estimated AIDS cases related to the
HIV transmission category male-to-male
sexual contact/injection drug use (IDU).3
- Male-to-male
sexual contact was the transmission category
for 45 percent of Black men estimated
to be living with AIDS at the end of 2006.3
|
| TOP |
| CRITICAL
ISSUES |
| Like
many racial and ethnic minorities, minority
MSM often face poor access to health care
because of lack of health insurance and poverty.
In addition to these problems, MSM must cope
with many types of stigma—racial/ethnic
minority, MSM, and HIV positive. MSM of color,
therefore, may fear condemnation from their
families, communities, and service providers.2
In
one study on prevention activities targeting
Black MSM (BMSM), respondents called this
population “hidden” due to a
lack of “gay-affirming” venues
in their community or a general fear of
being “out” in public. House
parties were identified as a social venue
and sexual partners were often sought online—making
prevention, testing, and counseling infinitely
more challenging.2 In addition,
many minority MSM identify with their racial
identity more than their sexual identity;
thus, messages aimed at the gay community
often do not reach them.4
For
MSM of color who date within their race,
increased prevalence coupled with a smaller
dating community place them at increased
risk. Poor self-esteem, loneliness, and
internalized homophobia are linked to high-risk
behaviors and also increased risk for HIV.2
In
a five-city Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) study on MSM, 25 percent
of participants tested positive for HIV. Approximately
one-half (48 percent) of the HIV-positive
MSM (of which young BMSM were disproportionately
represented) were unaware of their status.5 |
| TOP |
| HRSA'S
RESPONSE |
|
Experiences
of providers who are funded through the
Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program have revealed
program components that are key to reaching
MSM. Providers must cultivate and then provide
high-quality, nonjudgmental services that
help MSM acknowledge their risk, get tested,
and stay in care over time. The use of peer
educators can be critical.
The
Health Resources and Services Administration
(HRSA) continues to adapt to the changing
climate of HIV/AIDS to better reach—and
serve—people living with HIV/AIDS.
Today, outreach workers go out into the
community to find the hard to reach. They’re
also going online to target young MSM and
the growing population of individuals turning
to the Internet to help define their sexual
identities and seek out sexual partners
(see http://careacttarget.org/Library/SPNSBulletin/spnsbulletin.
aug06.pdf (PDF – 129KB). )
HRSA
is also funding a Special Projects of National
Significance (SPNS) initiative on Outreach,
Care, and Prevention to Engage HIV Seropositive
Young MSM of Color. The initiative began
in 2004 and continues through 2009. (To
learn more, visit http://hab.hrsa.gov/special/ocp_index.htm.)
To
increase access to quality care for minorities
and respond to the need for additional minority
providers of state-of-the-art care in underserved
communities, the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program
funds the National Minority AIDS Education
and Training Center to expand clinical expertise
in minority communities. More information
is available at www.nmaetc.org. The National
Minority AIDS Initiative has been codified
into the law and is now Part F of the Ryan
White HIV/AIDS Program. To learn more, go
to www.hab.hrsa.gov/treatmentmodernization/minority.htm.
|
| TOP |
| END
NOTES: |
| 1 |
Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
HIV/AIDS Surveillance Report.
2006;18:13. Table 3. |
| 2 |
National
Alliance of State & Territorial
AIDS Directors. Findings from targeted
interviews on HIV prevention activities
directed toward Black men who have sex
with men. May 2008. Available at:
www.nastad.org/Docs/highlight/2008521_NASTAD%20
Black%20MSM%20Issue%20Brief%20No.%203.pdf
(PDF – 578KB).
Accessed June 10, 2008. |
| 3 |
CDC.
HIV/AIDS Surveillance Report.
2006;18:23. Table 11. |
| 4 |
Clarke-Tasker
VA, Wutoh AK, Mohammed T. HIV risk behaviors
in African American males. ABNF
J. 2005;16:56-9. |
| 5 |
CDC.
HIV prevalence, unrecognized infection,
and HIV testing among men who have sex
with men—Five U.S. cities, June
2004-April 2005. MMWR. 2005;54;597-601. |
|
| TOP |
|
