HIV Infected Men Shift their Behavior
December 7th, 2007 Posted by: Dr. Cox
(Ivanhoe Newswire) â Men diagnosed with HIV are choosing only to have unprotected sex with those who also have the disease, according to new research. Study authors say this is a dramatic shift in thinking for men with HIV.
Research shows that men prior to HIV infection have unprotected intercourse acts with HIV-negative or HIV-unknown partners 75 percent of the time. But after a man is diagnosed with HIV, they change their behavior. The new study reveals following a diagnosis, HIV infected men have intercourse 97 percent of the time with other HIV infected individuals. This is important because the first month after infection is when someone has the highest levels of HIV circulating in their blood.
This finding was part of a study conducted by six clinics across the country. Researchers interviewed newly HIV-infected men about their behaviors. More than 90 percent of the men in the study were gay.
âWhile the findings showed condom use was up and the number of partners was down, the most startling effect was seen in men choosing to have unprotected intercourse almost exclusively with other HIV-infected individuals. This reflects a systematic shift by men, most of whom are gay, following HIV infection to behaviors that protect their sex partnersâ says lead study author, Wayne Steward, PhD, MPH, assistant professor of medicine at UCSFâs Center for AIDS Prevention Studies.
SOURCE: Presented at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control National HIV Prevention Conference in Atlanta on Dec. 5, 2007