MEXICO CITY - Twenty-five years after AIDS was branded the "gay plague," the virus is again exacting a disproportionate toll on men who have sex with men, not only in the United States but also in countries where the epidemic is just emerging.
Globally, men who engage in homosexual sex are 19 times more likely to contract HIV than the rest of the population, according to data released at the International AIDS Conference.
Simple biology also contributes to the problem, Richard Wolitski, acting director of the Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, noted. "This is a virus that is transmitted more easily via anal sex than vaginal sex."
An Amfar survey of 128 countries found that men who engage in sex with other men are at greater risk of contracting HIV than others in the population. In Asia, these men are 18 times more likely to contract HIV than the general population, while in Africa they are four times more likely to be infected, according to Amfar.
One of the hardest hit regions is Latin America. Men who have sex with men in the region are 33 times more likely to be infected with HIV, the highest odds ratio found in the Amfar study.
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