Posted on 04/01/2002 4:57:34 PM PST by Pharmboy
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Intentional anal sex without a condom--termed "barebacking"--is a relatively common practice among gay and bisexual men, researchers at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (news - web sites) (CDC) report.
A key aspect of barebacking, according to the report, is the intent to engage in unprotected anal sex with someone other than a primary partner.
In the study, the investigators found that 70% of gay or bisexual men interviewed were familiar with the term "barebacking." Of this group, 14% reported that they had barebacked at least once during the past 2 years.
"Intentional unprotected anal sex with non-primary partners is a health concern for gay communities because of the risk of transmitting HIV (news - web sites) or other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) to uninfected men, including treatment-resistant strains, and the potential risk of superinfection in HIV-positive men," according to lead author Dr. Gordon Mansergh and colleagues from the CDC in Atlanta, Georgia.
The results of their investigation, which involved interviews with 554 gay or bisexual men living in San Francisco, were published in the March issue of the journal AIDS (news - web sites).
All of the men were asked about their HIV status and, if they practiced barebacking, why they did so.
Of the men who reported barebacking in the previous 2 years, 22% said they were HIV positive and 10% identified themselves as HIV negative.
"The reason most frequently cited for barebacking was to experience greater physical stimulation; feeling emotionally connected with a partner was also a relatively common reason," the authors write.
There were no differences in the prevalence of barebacking by race or ethnicity, education or income, the report indicates.
Mansergh and colleagues call for new health promotion strategies to reach men who bareback, noting that some HIV-negative men are intentionally putting themselves at risk, while some HIV-positive men are intentionally putting themselves and others at risk for HIV and other STDs.
"Researchers, practitioners and community members should work together and consider holistic health and wellness lifestyle approaches that take multiple human needs into account, particularly for men who bareback," they conclude.
"Barebacking sounds very provocative but all it really is, is unsafe sex," said Marty Algaze, a spokesperson for Gay Men's Health Crisis, a not-for-profit group based in New York City.
"Gay men, especially younger men, who may not have lost any friends to the disease still need to be reminded that even though it may feel emotionally and physically better to have unprotected anal sex, there is no cure for AIDS," Algaze added.
"Anti-HIV drugs are no panacea," Algaze stated, "and many can experience very serious side effects from the drugs."
SOURCE: AIDS 2002;16:653-659.
I think that deep inside, gay men who do this hate their lifestyle and hate themselves.
Engaging in unprotected sex could be part of a desire to kill themselves along with a petulant desire to take others with them.
Is it any wonder decent people shun them?
I sorta agree with Ronin--a death wish for whatever reason.
Yep. Throw more money at the problem. That'll fix it.
The liberal solution to everything.
Yes. Federal funding for medical research is skewed, failing to focus on diseases that cause the most suffering and death. Something is wrong when NIH funds research at the rate of $1,129 per heart disease death, $723 per stroke death, $4,995 per diabetes death, $4,525 per cancer death, but $31,381 per HIV/AIDS death.
NIH priorities respond well to the political and media attention focused upon AIDS and HIV. But its priorities fall short on diseases that cause the most death or suffering.
NIH allocates $2,100 per year for each HIV/AIDS patient (600,000 to 700,000), $200 per breast cancer patient (2 million), $338 per overall cancer patient (8 million), $40 per heart disease patient (22 million), and $20 per diabetes patient (16 million).
Of the 43 percent of its budget that NIH spends on disease-specific research, heart disease receives $903 million (16.5 percent), diabetes $316 million (5.8 percent), pneumonia and influenza $64 million (1.2 percent), stroke $127 million (2.3 percent) and HIV/AIDS $1.5 billion (27.5 percent).
Cardiovascular disease is America's number-one killer, nearing a million deaths a year, or 22 times more than AIDS (number eight). Cancer kills 13 times more persons than AIDS, and stroke four times as many. But NIH's $1.5 billion in AIDS research is second only to cancer's $2.7 billion. Although AIDS is the leading cause of death for males ages 25 to 44, this selected segment is only 15 percent of the entire population.
Congress gives too much discretion over specific research-funding allocation to NIH and its institute directors. We should provide significant funding for AIDS research, but not to the detriment of other deadly diseases.
Rep. Ernest Istook (R-Okla.)
Member, House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health & Human Services and Education
Intentional Unsafe Sex Among Gay Men Common: CDC
No-duh! It doesn’t take a CDC scientist to know that. It could be also stated that "Downright nasty, perverted sex is prevalent among gay men" too, without too much of a stretch.
But, I do believe it's good to have the CDC document this scheiss.
Duh-, For once the liberal press couldn't make this into a Race or class war. In other words, Immorality and stupidity doesn't care about race, ethnicity education or income.
The liberal solution to everything.
I don't think we should fund any of it. After all, they "choose" death "in the privacy of their own homes."
We should not have any involvement at all. Right? It's "their personal life."
Let them use their own "personal" money for it.
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