2016 National Gay Men's HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

September 27, 2016

Today is National Gay Men’s HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, a day to take action to prevent HIV among gay and bisexual men and help those living with HIV stay healthy. In 2014, more than 30,000 gay and bisexual men (including those who also inject drugs) received an HIV diagnosis, accounting for 70% of all estimated HIV diagnoses.

However, we are seeing some signs of progress. From 2010 to 2014, diagnoses continued to decline among white gay and bisexual men and stabilized among black gay and bisexual men after years of increases. Diagnoses among Latino gay and bisexual men increased from 2010 to 2014, though at a slower rate than in previous years.

During the past decade, CDC and our partners have worked hard to expand HIV testing among gay and bisexual men. A recent Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) provides evidence of increased HIV testing among gay and bisexual men and earlier diagnosis in those who are HIV-positive. These results are encouraging, but we still have much work to do to reduce new HIV infections among gay and bisexual men.

According to another recent MMWR, gay and bisexual men receiving outpatient HIV medical care have many unmet needs for non-HIV medical care, such as dental, eye, and mental health care, as well as other services that improve HIV treatment outcomes. Young, African American, and Hispanic/Latino gay and bisexual men have the most unmet needs for such services. Together, we must ensure that all gay and bisexual men who are living with HIV have access to the services they need to lead long and healthy lives.

CDC continues to use scientifically proven prevention strategies to stop the spread of HIV among gay and bisexual men. For example:

• Starting in 2012, CDC has awarded at least $330 million each year ($343.7 million in 2015) to health departments to direct resources to the populations and geographic areas of greatest need, including gay and bisexual men, and prioritize the HIV prevention strategies that will have the greatest impact.
• Beginning in 2011, CDC awarded $11 million per year for 5 years to 34 community-based organizations to provide HIV testing to more than 90,000 young gay and bisexual men of color and transgender youth of color with the goals of identifying more than 3,500 previously unrecognized HIV infections and linking those who have HIV to care and prevention services. CDC recently announced a new funding opportunity focused on these populations that will begin in 2017 and continue for 5 years, depending on the availability of funds.
• CDC added three new funding opportunities (FOAs) in 2015 to help health departments reduce HIV infections and improve HIV medical care among gay and bisexual men. These FOAs support effective models of prevention and care, increase health departments’ capacity to use individual-level surveillance data to improve programs and clinical outcomes, and increase gay and bisexual men’s access to PrEP.
• Through our Act Against AIDS (AAA) campaigns and partnerships, CDC provides culturally appropriate messages about HIV prevention and treatment. For example, Start Talking. Stop HIV. encourages gay and bisexual men to discuss HIV prevention and related health issues. Doing It, AAA’s latest campaign, encourages all adults to get tested for HIV and includes many resources for gay and bisexual men. For those who are living with HIV, HIV Treatment Works provides resources to help them stay healthy.

Thank you for the vital work you are doing to prevent HIV, an infection that still affects so many gay and bisexual men. We remain dedicated to working alongside you to reduce new HIV infections and improve the well-being of gay and bisexual men who are living with HIV.

Sincerely,

/Jonathan Mermin/
Jonathan H. Mermin, M.D., MPH
RADM and Assistant Surgeon General, USPHS
Director
National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
www.cdc.gov/nchhstp

/Eugene McCray/
Eugene McCray, MD
Director
Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention
National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
www.cdc.gov/hiv