The NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene reports a sharp increase in young NYC men who have sex with men testing HIV positive since President Bush took office in 2001.
According to the New York Times: "Over a five-year period, the number of new H.I.V. diagnoses in men under the age of 30 who have sex with other men increased by 33 percent, to 499 in 2006 from 374 in 2001. During the same period, the infection rate for men over 30 decreased by 22 percent."
This disturbing trend in reports of new HIV infections among young gay men is particularly troubling given the federal government's emphasis on abstinence only based HIV prevention efforts by the Bush Administration.
Also, specific programs that target young gay men are lacking and even absent in many areas of the country.
The CDC, White House Office on National AIDS Policy, NIH, and other federal agencies and offices must do more to fund targeted HIV prevention efforts and comprehensive human sexuality programs tailored specifically to the needs of gay youth.
