The incidence of HIV infection among young, black American males who have slept with men shot up 48 percent between 2006 and 2009, according to a new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The overall rate of new HIV infection remained the same.

An official with the CDC pointed to the lack of adequate health care for many black Americans as one of the primary causes of the ongoing tragedy. View the full report here. –ARK

National Journal:

The rate of new HIV infections in the United States remained stable between 2006 and 2009 though infections increased among young black gay and bisexual men, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The first multiyear estimate of national HIV incidences found new infections have remained steady with an estimated 50,000 new infections each year. But the agency expressed concerns about the “alarming” rate of new infections among young black gay and bisexual men, where there was a 48 percent increase in new infections between 2006 and 2009.

… [The CDC’s Joseph] Prejean attributed the increase in new infections to a lack of access to health care and the stigma surrounding homosexuality and HIV. He also said insular communities make the spread of disease easier. In black communities where blacks are more likely to date other blacks, when an infected person is introduced to the community, disease spreads.

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