Halting the HIV Epidemic in Urban MSM: What Will Make the Difference?

Major reductions in incidence will require improvements at every step of the care continuum, but the barriers to such widespread change are substantial.

Men who have sex with men (MSM) make up only 2% of the U.S. population but account for more than half of all new HIV diagnoses. CDC researchers recently employed a dynamic mathematical model to estimate the effect of a “test-and-treat” strategy on the incidence of HIV infection among urban MSM.

The researchers assumed that in current practice, 24% of MSM undergo annual HIV testing, 70% of those who test positive are linked to care, antiretroviral therapy (ART) is initiated at a mean CD4 count of 300 cells/mm³, and 80% of men receiving ART achieve virologic suppression. According to the model's projections, if this scenario remains unchanged, approximately 53,000 new HIV infections will occur among urban MSM during the next 20 years. Improvin…

Reviewing Author

Carlos del Rio, MD

Halting the HIV Epidemic in Urban MSM: What Will Make the Difference?

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