As more organizations marked the 30th anniversary of the first reported cases of HIV, it's a good time to look at some of the underlying issues that drive the epidemic. The recent news report start out by mentioning those first cases of PCP Pneumonia reported here in Los Angeles. It's also noteworthy that in the mid-70's, the STD clinic at the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center saw a young man with KS lesions--years before the disease even had a name.
Looking at the the makeup of people with HIV today, the virus still disproportionally affects the gay and bisexual men. Nationally, they make up 57% of new infections, and here in Los Angeles County, 82% the people infected are gay and bisexual. As the various public health agencies look to new modalities to steam the spread of the virus, such as treating HIV-infected individuals earlier, it's also beneficial to examine risk factors that make gay and bisexual men the only risk group in America in which new infections have been increasing for the last twenty years.
Study results published in the Journal of School Health show that LBGT youth that experience victimisation and bullying in school show an increased risk of suicide, depression, STDs, and HIV. While the government has taken the critical step of acknowledging the problem and offering information and referrals, more needs to be done in the way of esteem building and increasing at-risk individuals feelings of self worth.
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