Ginny cited this article in a previous post. It is worth looking at this report from the CDC, as well as the commentary that Ginny cited. Here is what the CDC press release reported:
The data, presented at CDC’s 2010 National STD Prevention Conference, finds that the rate of new HIV diagnoses among men who have sex with men (MSM) is more than 44 times that of other men and more than 40 times that of women….The rate of primary and secondary syphilis among MSM is more than 46 times that of other men and more than 71 times that of women, the analysis says. The range was 91-173 cases per 100,000 MSM vs. 2 per 100,000 other men and 1 per 100,000 women….Research shows that a range of complex factors contribute to the high rates of HIV and syphilis among gay and bisexual men. These factors include high prevalence of HIV and other STDs among MSM, which increases the risk of disease exposure, and limited access to prevention services. Other factors are complacency about HIV risk, particularly among young gay and bisexual men; difficulty of consistently maintaining safe behaviors with every sexual encounter over the course of a lifetime; and lack of awareness of syphilis symptoms and how it can be transmitted (e.g., oral sex). Additionally, factors such as homophobia and stigma can prevent MSM from seeking prevention, testing, and treatment services.
Also, the risk of HIV transmission through receptive anal sex is much greater than the risk of transmission via other sexual activities, and some gay and bisexual men are relying on prevention strategies that may be less effective than consistent condom use.
It is not realistic to expect consistent condom use in every sexual encounter. And so it is not realistic to expect “prevention efforts” to be effective in protecting against HIV tranmission in the activity that is intrinsically the most risky. So, why aren’t young people told about the hazards of receptive anal sex? I wonder…
MSM in this context stands for Men who have Sex with Men. It is not a euphamism: it is the most scientifically accurate description for medical research. In this context, researchers don’t care about anything but behavior, so they ask only behavioral questions. For instance, how many sex partners did you have in the last six months? how many of them were men? etc.