HIV in Atlanta...interesting news (Perry, Cleveland: 2014, apartment, homes)

[Onthemove2014]

So heterosexual men can't get HIV from vagina? Cool.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by plessthanpointohfive

2. There ARE drugs to aid in prevention of HIV. It's called antiretroviral therapy, or ARVs or ART. These are the drug regimens that people with HIV take to keep their viral load (the number of copies of the virus) down. If viral load is low then they reduce the chance they infect other people.

If someone is HIV+ and they have an HIV- sexual partner, if the HIV- partner starts taking ART it reduces their chance of getting infected down to nearly 0.

That's a big part of the problem though, isn't it?

Unless people realize they are at risk and take those preventive meds (or take other preventive measures), then they are not protected are they?

[soletaire]

Originally Posted by MiamiRob

Let's not suger coat things about this news. Black women with HIV are being infected because their partners are on the "down low" meaning they are black bisexual men who don't use protection when they hook up with guys.

Rather interesting that people are still propagating this myth.

Myth: HIV/AIDS Rate Among Black Women Traced To 'Down Low' Black Men : NPR

I honestly think that this worsens the problem. A lot of blacks tend to believe what they want to believe and fail to make the link to the root of the problem which is individual accountability. I mean, I dont believe in a 90 day rule personally, but hypothetically, if it existed, and both partners insisted upon testing prior to sexual intercourse, many infections could be detected within that time frame, even if a male partner were gay.

Even if the theory of a downlow epidemic were true, why, when interracial relationships are more common than they've ever been before, enough so that it has even at times become a source of friction between black men and black women, would black women be the only ones bearing the brunt of new hiv infections among women; despite the fact that there are numerically scores more openly gay and downlow white men in relationships with white women? These are things that, to me, simply run counter to the downlow narrative many blacks cling to to explain away the statistics regarding HIV.

[PKCorey]

Originally Posted by soletaire

Rather interesting that people are still propagating this myth.

Myth: HIV/AIDS Rate Among Black Women Traced To 'Down Low' Black Men : NPR

I honestly think that this worsens the problem. A lot of blacks tend to believe what they want to believe and fail to make the link to the root of the problem which is individual accountability. I mean, I dont believe in a 90 day rule personally, but hypothetically, if it existed, and both partners insisted upon testing prior to sexual intercourse, many infections could be detected within that time frame, even if a male partner were gay.

Even if the theory of a downlow epidemic were true, why, when interracial relationships are more common than they've ever been before, enough so that it has even at times become a source of friction between black men and black women, would black women be the only ones bearing the brunt of new hiv infections among women; despite the fact that there are numerically scores more openly gay and downlow white men in relationships with white women? These are things that, to me, simply run counter to the downlow narrative many blacks cling to to explain away the statistics regarding HIV.

having multiple sexual partners with unprotected sex with heterosexual partners

Sounds like this is the main issue. Folks not using protection.

[FlyiMetro]

Originally Posted by MiamiRob

Let's not suger coat things about this news. Black women with HIV are being infected because their partners are on the "down low" meaning they are black bisexual men who don't use protection when they hook up with guys.

Sad thing about it is multiply women are being infected by a smaller group of Mr. Perfects. Many of these case are these women are sleeping with the same types of guy. Just so happens the black Mr. Perfects are also sleeping with each other.

[gt6974a]

Well, I may be way off, but my understanding is HIV is transmitted primarily via blood and the #1 way to get it, is through drugs (aka needles), not sex. The second is ripping the anal wall and thus infection. The third is through vaginal sex but the vaginal wall is much thicker and resistant plus less friction.

I just wiki'd it and basically you're a ridiculous more times likely to get it from drugs (needles) than sex. Hell, there was a movie about in the 90's with Irish White Guys getting it, think it was called 'Train'.

The stigma is it's a 'bad', 'wrong', 'horrible' disease. As a conservative right, slightly tea party guy, I just see it as another virus. It's nothing different from a common cold except our bodies don't have the means to fight it. I do not find it hard to believe that the US hasn't found a resolution, they can't cure the common cold. You're never cured from a cold, it's a virus, it's only contained and you treat the symptons. As an engineer, that just doesn't make sense.

I thought needle drugs were mostly out, I heard about them nonstop as a kid in the 80's and 90's. I never hear that now.

Maybe that's it and their partners are into drugs, I don't know, but HIV infections is what 1/3 of 1% of the population? And it's a virus, that's it, just another virus our bodies can't fight.

We've gone to the moon, almost bottom of the earth, the microprocessor, lunar robots, etc but the most import discovery was Penicillin and that can't treat a virus. We have nothing to treat a virus. Regardless of if it's HIV or the common cold. We are vulnerable

[RandyWatson13]

Oral sex ftw

[soletaire]

The Mr. Perfect theory is a lot more probable and plausible than the downlow thing. You cant in one breath accept the notion that gay black men lead the nation in new HIV infections, and that black women lead the nation in abortions and HIV infections among women, and then in the next breath say that the only demographic who's own behavioral decisions cause their disproportionate representation are gay black males.

Now I think more important than any sexual imperative is the fact that many blacks, (moreso than most other ethnic groups) tend to live in highly concentrated, urban environs, where disease is much easier to spread. Combine that with exacerbating factors (lack of guidance in those areas, the introduction of drugs which catalyzed high drug trafficking/drug abuse in those areas, and youth culture which has reveled in hedonism since the 80's etc.) and its a recipe for disaster from the outset.

[L'Artiste]

the CDC reports that compared to other races, black women have fewer lifetime sexual partners and least likely to participate in high risk activity.yet they account for most of the hiv rates, so how are they getting it?

[majicdonjuan]

Originally Posted by soletaire

The Mr. Perfect theory is a lot more probable and plausible than the downlow thing. You cant in one breath accept the notion that gay black men lead the nation in new HIV infections, and that black women lead the nation in abortions and HIV infections among women, and then in the next breath say that the only demographic who's own behavioral decisions cause their disproportionate representation are gay black males.

Now I think more important than any sexual imperative is the fact that many blacks, (moreso than most other ethnic groups) tend to live in highly concentrated, urban environs, where disease is much easier to spread. Combine that with exacerbating factors (lack of guidance in those areas, the introduction of drugs which catalyzed high drug trafficking/drug abuse in those areas, and youth culture which has reveled in hedonism since the 80's etc.) and its a recipe for disaster from the outset.

This makes sense to me. Many places in the U.S., in particular Atlanta, have a significant gap between the number of eligible young straight black men and similar black women. In college I remember it was more than 60% female. Taking out the significant gay male population i'd say there were probably 3 women to every straight guy on campus. I can't say it has seemed that different in LA, Houston, or DC, at least among blacks. Black women don't have more partners than any other women in my opinion. It's just that there's a smaller group of guys that they are sleeping with and some of these guys unfortunately end up HIV positive through all kinds of means (sleeping with other men being a major one, in my opinion).