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The views expressed are those of the featured medical professional and reflect information available to that professional at time of filming. This information is shared for educational purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice. It’s probably why, according to a 2011 study of 25,000 men who have sex.
#AskTheHIVDoc is a video series from Greater Than AIDS featuring top HIV doctors providing answers to commonly-asked questions about HIV prevention, testing and treatment. Douching and warming things up a bit are recommended for optimal pleasure, and y’all, ain’t nobody got time for that. It’s because we live in a high HIV prevalent society among gay men and then also because some of the behaviors that we engage in may put us more at risk for HIV. So again, the point I would want to make, it’s not because of who you are, it’s not just because you’re gay. The other part of that is that when you do have sex, anal sex in particular, without a condom it’s going to be more at risk for HIV. So whether you like or not, just because you’re having sex with other men you are going to put yourself in a pool where you’re having a greater chance of getting in contact with HIV. It is probably safe to say that most gay men who bareback are familiar with a majority of the reasons not to do so.
In this day and time, gay men still make up about 2/3 of the new HIV diagnosis. There are a lot of reasons not to bareback. Since the HIV epidemic started in the 1980s gay men have been at a greater risk and represented more of the new HIV cases that we’ve known in this country and actually internationally as well. David: The answer to this question is not about who you are, but it’s more about a numbers game. Leandro: We’re gonna give you what you need.ĭr. Demetre: You have some questions? We know HIV.ĭr. David: This gentlemen asks, “’Why are gay men more at risk for HIV?”ĭr. Increased access to HIV treatment and care, along with earlier diagnosis, and use of PrEPhas been shown to bring down rates of HIV even among areas with higher prevalence.ĭr. The chance of being exposed to the virus is just greater in these social networks and so the response must also be greater. Groups more at-risk for HIV are generally found to get tested more frequently, use condoms more often, and take other precautions to protect against HIV as compared with other groups.
In fact, research shows that this is not the case. In other words, the chances of coming in contact with the virus and thus also the risk of infection is greater.Ī common misconception is that groups with higher rates of HIV are acting less responsibly. One reason some groups and areas have been more affected by HIV/AIDS than others is because the HIV prevalence – the percent of the population that has HIV – is already high. David explains what’s behind the higher rates of HIV among gay men.