HIV/AIDS and homosexuality have been linked since the very beginning of the disease. HIV was even thought of as a ‛gay disease’ before we knew better. But it seems the link between the virus and homosexuality is still going strong.

In a recent study published by the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it was found that one in five gay men in the United States of America have HIV. In France, homosexual men accounted for 48% of the new infections in 2008. 

The number of new infections among gay men reportedly remained stable despite a decline in other groups. For officials, this marks a need for more gay-targeted HIV campaigns and programs. “We need to reinvigorate our response to preventing HIV among gay and bisexual men,” said Dr. Jonathan Mermin, the director of the CDC’s Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention. “We can’t allow HIV to continue its devastating toll among gay and bisexual men, and in particular, among young black men.”

In France, Stephane Le Vu, who led the research, said: “HIV transmission disproportionately affects certain risk groups and seems to be out of control in the MSM population.” Male-to-Male sex (MSM) poses a big risk for men to contract HIV because of a lack of condom use. 

In the US, they found that 19% of gay men are infected with HIV with a disproportionate prevalence among certain groups. The CDC study found that various factors play a role, including race and age. More black men are infected with HIV (28%) than Hispanic (18%) or white (16%) men and black men were also least likely to be aware of their infection. Up to 59% of gay black men don’t know their status, compared to 46% of Hispanic men and 26% of white men. 

Younger men are more likely to be unaware of their status than older men. Among 18 to 29-year-old men, 63% didn’t know they were infected with HIV compared to 37% of men aged 30 and older. To curb the transmission of the disease, the CDC recommends that gay and bisexual men of all ages get an HIV test each year. Men who have multiple partners or who use drugs during sex have the highest risk and should get tested every three to six months.

“The severity of the impact of HIV in the gay community is nothing new,” said Carl Schmid, of the non-profit Aids Institute, in a statement. “What has been missing is an appropriate response by our government, at the federal, state and local levels, and the gay community itself.”

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