The continuing HIV epidemic among men who have sex with men

Objectives. This study characterized the AIDS epidemic among urban men who have sex with men (MSM). Methods. A probability sample of MSM was obtained in 1997 (n = 2881; 18 years and older) from New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and San Francisco, and HIV status was determined through self-report and biological measures. Results. HIV prevalence was 17% (95% confidence interval = 15%, 19%) overall, with-extremely high levels in African Americans (29%), MSM who used injection drugs (40%), ultraheavy noninjection drug users (32%), and less educated men (< high school, 37%). City-level HIV differences were nonsignificant once these other factors were controlled for. In comparing the present findings with historical data based on public records and modeling, HIV prevalence appears to have declined as a result of high mortality (69%) and stable, but high, incidence rates (1% 2%). Conclusions. Although the findings suggest that HIV prevalence has declined significantly from the mid-1980s, current levels among urban MSM in the United States approximate those of sub-Saharan countries (e.g., 14%-25%) and are extremely high in many population subsegments. Despite years of progress, the AIDS epidemic continues unabated among subsegments of the MSM community.