Dr. David explains what’s behind the higher rates of infection among gay men.
#AskTheHIVDoc is a video series from Greater Than AIDS where top HIV doctors give frank, no-nonsense responses to commonly asked questions from gay men about a range of sexual health topics, including personal risk, PrEP and other prevention tools, testing, and treatment. For more information, visit: http://greaterthan.org/speakout.
These videos are provided for educational purposes and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider before making any healthcare decisions or for guidance about a specific medical condition.
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TRANSCRIPT:
Dr. David: This gentlemen asks, “’Why are gay men more at risk for HIV?”
Dr. Demetre: You have some questions? We know HIV.
Dr. David: I’m a doctor. I’m trained for this.
Dr. Leandro: We’re gonna give you what you need.
Dr. David: The answer to this question is not about who you are, but it’s more about a numbers game. 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. In this day and time, gay men still make up about 2/3 of the new HIV diagnosis. 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. 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 again, the point I would want to make, it’s not because of who you are, it’s not just because you’re gay. 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.
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