Fitness Club

Recent data from the show that 1 in 5 sexually active gay and bisexual men in America are HIV-positive but that 44% of them don't know it. A fifth of all sexually active gay men in the US are HIV-positive, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and a staggering 44% of them are unaware of it.

CDC researchers reached that conclusion after testing more than 8,000 gay and bisexual men in 21 American cities.

Racial Disparities

White gay and bisexual men between the ages of 30 and 39 were found to have the highest absolute number of infections, although the rate per capita (16%) was less than that of black and Hispanic gay and bisexual men. Among blacks, the rate of HIV infection per capita was highest, at 28%. The rate of infection among young Hispanic gay and bisexual men was found to be 18%.

Nearly half of the HIV-positive men (44%) did not know they were infected. Young gay and bisexual men of color were least likely to be aware of their infection.

Socioeconomic Factors

The researchers found a link between socioeconomic status and HIV among gay and bisexual men. Those with greater levels of education and income were less likely to be infected and, if they were, more likely to know about their status.

The highest rate of HIV infection among gay and bisexual men occurred in Baltimore, at 39%, the researchers found. Atlanta was lowest, with just 6% reported. Rates of infection greater than 25% were found in Baltimore, Dallas, Houston, Miami and New York.

Bisexual men were infected with HIV at the highest rate, likely due to behavioral factors such as number of sexual partners. Compared to heterosexual men, their rate of HIV infection was found to be 44 times higher.

Relaxed Attitude

Because drugs have been developed to successfully manage AIDS, and many HIV-infected individuals have survived for decades, the perception has grown that an HIV-positive diagnosis is no longer the death sentence it was once thought to be. However, more than 18,000 people die from HIV and AIDS annually in the US -- a sobering statistic.

The fact that so many HIV-positive individuals are unaware of their condition underscores the tremendous need for aggressive testing programs and ongoing education about this disease.