The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released its new report on HIV infection, testing, and risk behaviors among youth in the U.S.
The CDC stated bout 50,000 people get HIV each year and young people between the ages of 13 and 24 represent about a quarter of these new HIV infections (26 percent). The majority of youth living with HIV are unaware they are infected. Young gay and bisexual men and African Americans are the most affected.
The latest data released by the CDC on HIV infections, testing, and risk behaviors among youth and young adults show
- Nearly 60 percent of new infections among youth occur in African Americans, about 20 percent in Hispanics/Latinos and about 20 percent in whites.
- About 70percent of youth were infected with HIV through male-to-male sex, 20 percent from heterosexual sex, 4 percent from injection drug use and about 4percent from a combination of male-to-male sex and injection drug use.
- Young gay and bisexual men and African Americans are hit harder by HIV than their peers.
- About 86 percent of young females got HIV through heterosexual sex and 13 percent from injection drug use.
- The percentage of youth tested for HIV overall was 12.9 percent among high school students and 34.5 percent among those aged 18–24 years; it was lower among males than females, and lower among whites and Hispanics/Latinos than blacks/African Americans.
According to CDC experts, a number of factors contribute to the higher levels of HIV in young people and can vary by population. In some communities HIV prevalence is higher, which increases the likelihood that someone will be exposed to infection with each sexual encounter.
Higher risk behavior among gay and bisexual youth
CDC scientists also examined risk behaviors among high school students in 12 states and nine large urban school districts, and found that young gay and bisexual males reported engaging in substantially higher levels of risk behavior than their heterosexual male peers. Young gay and bisexual males are
- More likely to report having had sex with four or more partners or ever injecting illegal drugs.
- More likely to have used alcohol or drugs before their last sexual experience and less likely to have used a condom.
- Less likely to report having been taught about HIV or AIDS in school.
The Vital Signs report calls for age-appropriate HIV prevention education through parents, schools, and community and web-based programs. Additionally, it calls for implementation of effective interventions and testing for youth at risk. It also underscores the importance of treatment and care for youth who have HIV.
“On World AIDS Day [December 1] and every day, we should be working together for an AIDS-free generation,” stated Dr. Kevin A. Fenton, Director of the CDC’s National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention. “It will take a concerted effort to provide our nation’s youth with the tools and resources they need to assess their own personal risk, get tested, and protect themselves from HIV infection.”
Find the complete report, Vital Signs: HIV Infection, Testing, and Risk Behaviors Among Youths — United States, at www.cdc.gov.