Young, white, homosexual men are spreading HIV at alarming rates

Further spread of HIV can be somewhat attributed to irresponsible sexual behavior by gay males. A study published in BMC Infectious Diseases discovered white, homosexual males are playing a vital part in spreading HIV.

While knowledge and awareness increase about HIV each year, so does the rate of the disease.

Researchers at Ghent University in Belgium analyzed information about the viruses taken from over 500 individuals. In the population were both men and women, hetero- and homosexuals, and a variety of races who all had contracted HIV between the years of 2001 and 2009. The goal was to understand contributing factors that were spreading HIV to learn about potential strategies for prevention.

Using techniques like genetic profiling, scientists could cluster viruses into separate groups. Doing so, researchers discovered a higher frequency of HIV subtype B over non-B type viruses. Also, these clusters appeared to come from young white men, engaging in sexual acts with men with greater risks of having another sexually transmitted disease. Based on that, many new HIV infections are the result of young, white, homosexual men engaging in high-risk behaviors.