Sunday
is National Gay Men's HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
 | The
National Association for People with AIDS (NAPWA) has designated this Sunday,
September 27, as National Gay Men's HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NGMHAAD), recognizing
that gay and bisexual men -- particularly young men and men of color -- continue
to be disproportionately impacted by HIV and AIDS in the U.S. |
|
While
the proportion of women and heterosexuals with HIV/AIDS has risen since the early
years of the epidemic, men who have sex with men still account for the largest
number of total HIV/AIDS cases, as well as new
infections. "The
fact is that the HIV epidemic is far from over for gay men," says NAPWA,
considering that:  | 53%
of new HIV infections occurred among men who have sex with men in 2006. | | From
2001-2006, men who have sex with men across all racial and ethnic groups were
the only transmission category with significant increases in HIV diagnoses. | | HIV
incidence has been increasing steadily among gay and bisexual men since the early
1990s, consistent with increases in risk behavior, sexually transmitted diseases
(STDs), and HIV diagnoses among men who have sex with men. | | Gay
men comprise over half of the total number of total HIV/AIDS cases in the United
States. | | More
than 500,000 gay men of all colors have died of HIV/AIDS in the United States. |
The
goals of NGMAHAD are to: | 1.
| Raise
awareness about HIV/AIDS among gay men. | | 2. | Encourage
HIV testing, early diagnosis and linkage to care. | | 3. | Promote
better understanding of the complex factors that drive HIV transmission among
gay men. | | 4. | Obtain
broad-based support to acquire needed public and private resources and sound governmental
policies to prevent new infections among gay men and to provide treatment for
gay men living with HIV/AIDS. |
 For
further information, visit the NAPWA web-site at www.napwa.org.
9/25/09 Sources National
Association of People with AIDS. AIDS.gov
blog. National Gay Men's HIV/AIDS Awareness Day and the Internet. September
22, 2009. |
