C D C F A C T S H E E T
1 JUNE 2010
FOR THOSE WHO CAN'T BE BOTHERED...."HIV and AIDS among
Gay and Bisexual Men....CDC JUNE 2010.
Gay and bisexual men — referred to in CDC surveillance systems as men who have sex with men (MSM)1 — of all
races continue to be the risk group most severely affected by HIV. Additionally, this is the only risk group in the U.S. in
which the annual number of new HIV infections is increasing. There is an urgent need to expand access to proven HIV
prevention interventions for gay and bisexual men, as well as to develop new approaches to fight HIV in this population.
A Snapshot
t MSM account for nearly half of the more than one million people living with HIV in the U.S. (48%, or an estimated
532,000 total persons).
t MSM account for more than half of all new HIV infections in the U.S. each year (53%, or an estimated 28,700 infections).
t While CDC estimates that MSM account for just 4 percent of the U.S. male population aged 13 and older, the rate of
new HIV diagnoses among MSM in the U.S. is more than 44 times that of other men (range: 522–989 per 100,000
MSM vs. 12 per 100,000 other men).
t MSM is the only risk group in the U.S. in which new HIV infections are increasing. While new infections have
declined among both heterosexuals and injection drug users, the annual number of new HIV infections among MSM
has been steadily increasing since the early 1990s.
Black
MSM
White
MSM
Black
Heterosexual
Women
Black
Female
IDUs
Hispanic
Heterosexual
Women
White
Heterosexual
Women
Black
Male
IDUs
Hispanic
MSM
Black
Heterosexual
Men
13,230
10,130
5,360
7,340
3,290
2,310 2,010 1,910 1,470
number of new hiv infections
subpopulation
0
3,000
6,000
9,000
12,000
15,000
Estimates of New HIV Infections, 2006, by Race/Ethnicity, Risk Group, and Gender for the Most Affected U.S. Subpopulations*
*Subpopulations representing 2 percent or less of the overall U.S. epidemic are not reflected in this chart.
Gay and bisexual men of all races and black heterosexuals account for the greatest number of new HIV infections in the United States.
1 The term men who have sex with men is used in CDC surveillance systems. It indicates the behaviors that transmit HIV infection,
rather than how individuals self-identify in terms of their sexuality.
C D C F A C T S H E E T
2 JUNE 2010
t According to the latest estimates, white MSM represent a greater number of new HIV infections than any
other population, followed closely by black MSM — who are one of the most disproportionately affected
subgroups in the U.S.
t The primary ages at which MSM become infected differ by race:
• Young Black MSM: Most new infections among black MSM occur among young black MSM. In fact, there are more
new HIV infections among young black MSM (aged 13–29) than among any other age and racial group of MSM.
The number of new infections among black MSM in this age group is roughly twice that of their white and Hispanic
counterparts (5,220 infections in blacks vs. 3,330 among whites and 2,300 among Hispanics).
• White MSM in their 30s and 40s: Most new infections among white MSM occur among those aged 30–39 (4,670),
followed by those aged 40–49 (3,740).
• Young Hispanic MSM: Among Hispanic MSM, most new infections occur in the youngest (13–29) age group (2,300),
though a substantial number of new HIV infections also occur among those aged 30–39 (1,870).
White Black Hispanic†
13–29
30–39
40–49
>50
0
1,000
2,000
3,000
4,000
5,000
6,000
–
Estimated Number* of New HIV Infections in Men Who Have Sex with Men, by Race/Ethnicity and Age Group,
United States, 2006
* Incidence estimates are adjusted for reporting delays and reclassification of cases reported without a known risk factor for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) but not for underreporting
† Non-Hispanic whites and non-Hispanic blacks are referred to as white and black, respectively. Persons of Hispanic ethnicity might be of any race
Note: The "I" bars denote the data range for each confidence interval
t A study of MSM in five U.S. cities found extremely high levels of infection among MSM, and many of those infected
did not know it.
• Overall, one in four MSM participating in the study was infected. Black MSM were twice as likely to be infected with
HIV than other MSM.
• Among all of those who were infected, about half were unaware of their HIV status. Results were particularly
alarming for black MSM and young MSM, with more than two-thirds of infected black MSM, and nearly 80 percent
of infected young MSM (aged 18–24), unaware that they were infected.
t AIDS continues to claim the lives of too many MSM. Since the beginning of the epidemic, more than 279,000 MSM
with AIDS have died.