Judging by new data, approximately one third of gay men don’t know their HIV status, and about one in four gay men have never been tested for HIV in their lifetime.
The information comes from the 2014 National Gay Men’s Sex Survey; the largest sexual health survey of homosexual men in the United Kingdom.
Pink News reports that only 77% of gay and bisexual guys have ever been tested for HIV, and one in four have never ever had an HIV test. About 36% are unaware of their current HIV status.
Related: Honest Confessions From Men With HIV
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The website reports that 55% of gay and bisexual men had been tested in the past 12 months, which is up from 36% in the 2010 survey.
Cary James, the Head of Health Promotion at Terrence Higgins Trust, said:
“The Gay Men’s Sex Survey gives us a well rounded view of the landscape in which we’re working, since the data comes from gay and bisexual men themselves. These findings will help shape future sexual health promotion and HIV prevention tactics.
We’re concerned that a third of gay men are not definite about their HIV status – particularly as we know that one in seven men who have sex with men are undiagnosed.
“Knowing your HIV status is key to tackling the HIV epidemic, as people who are on treatment are highly unlikely to pass on the virus, so it’s really important to get tested. Testing is fast, easy and confidential.”
….
“Studies have suggested that condoms have prevented 80,000 infections since the start of the HIV epidemic.
“But this survey shows that perfect condom use is not a reality for everyone.
“We must continue to champion safe sex messages to gay men, but we also need to tackle prevention on all fronts if we are to beat this epidemic.
“That means regular testing, successful treatment and, critically, PrEP – in addition to condoms.”
Related: Want To Attend A “Sex Roulette” Party And Catch HIV From A Handsome Stranger?
Another notable statistic: one in three gay men had had unprotected anal sex with one or more non-monogamous party in the last year.
According to lead researcher Dr. Ford Hickson of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine:
Our findings show that not all men having gay sex are accessing sexual health services regularly.
“Half of the men we surveyed didn’t know that doctors in the UK recommend they test for HIV at least once a year.”
IDoNotHaveToAgreeWithYou
The cost of OraQuick needs to be forced down to about half. At $20 a test and the privacy of home testing would bring up the numbers of tested quickly.
Scribe38
@IDoNotHaveToAgreeWithYou: I agree 40 dollars might be out of the price range for some people. In Mi, when you buy the test you have to provide an I.D. to the store (similar to some cold medications). I could see that also being a barrier to people wanting to be tested. For a while I was testing myself every 3 mos with Oraquick. I also find even people in the medical profession don’t know it’s sold in stores. Demonstrated the ease of use for a community health class for nurses and most of the audience had no clue the product existed.
IDoNotHaveToAgreeWithYou
@Scribe38: ID? It’s on the self a Walmart. There is no reason for an ID than an out of control government. And I was thinking the lower prices would be good for multiple testing. Hell buy two and when you trick out test first then still used a condom. Let’s kill this disease, not just avoid it. And Yes I know there are false negatives and if recently infected it might now show up that soon, but throw everything at it now instead of waiting for a cure or vaccine that may never come.
PRINCE OF SNARKNESS aka DIVKID
Maybe they don’t engage in anal sex? A demographic that is completely overlooked by the gay media or seen as “problematic”
onthemark
@PRINCE OF SNARKNESS aka DIVKID: Gotta agree with you on that. Gay media always assumes that “gay male sex” = anal sex. Not everyone likes it. Guys who like it assume guys who don’t like it are lying. WTF. Get over it, not everyone likes or does anal sex.
PRINCE OF SNARKNESS aka DIVKID
@Onthemark: Preach! And if they don’t like the reality ithey can shove it up their arse. Seriously though we need better more positive group identity and signifier; it’s a shame “side”(as in “top” “bottom” “side”) didn’t take off
Paco
@PRINCE OF SNARKNESS aka DIVKID: Mutual masturbation and oral sex are only foreplay for me. Appetizers are great, but eventually I want the main course. To each his own.
Dave Downunder
There are also some guys who do like anal sex but only with a partner just not with random hook ups.
Having said that I still think that all gay men should get tested regularly not only for HIV but a full STI screening. It doesn’t cost you anything (at least it doesn’t here in Australia) and it gives you peace of mind.
Brian
HIV is not the lethal virus it was once thought to be. It’s kind of lost its impact in people’s minds.
I think the medical industry wants you to have an HIV test for reasons of money. Money, money, money. Every HIV test brings money to Big Pharma.
Kangol
@Dave Downunder: You wrote: ” It doesn’t cost you anything (at least it doesn’t here in Australia) and it gives you peace of mind.”
Unfortunately in the US STI screening does vary in cost, from free (in NYC if you can’t afford it) to out of pocket $ if you live in certain areas of the country. I’m not sure if it’s part of most ACA/Obamacare packages, but if not, it should be and it should be subsidized.
youarekiddingme
@Brian: Don’t worry Brian…you don’t need to be tested. Nobody wants to be with uh….YOU!
gayhope1990
It’s impossible to be gay and not practice anal sex.They’re just ashamed to be gay./AIDS kill millions of people each year so use condoms.
Brian
Anal sex does not bring about HIV. You can have anal with a healthy person a million times over and you won’t catch anytbing.
Billy Budd
Here in Brazil the tests are totally free. When I was promiscuous I used to get tested VERY frequently.
DCguy
The now said people must have health insurance. Often people are given blood tests at a yearly check up, for cholesterol etc.. some of the routine tests might be for HIV, but the doctor wouldn’t elaborate unless they were positive I would guess. I wonder if more HAVE been tested but were only asked if they took a specific HIV test.
Second note. Isn’t it amazing that Zika has only been scaring straight people for a few months and they already have a vaccine in trial stages?
Masc Pride
There’s no excuse for this when there is so much FREE testing available these days. You can go to your local PHD and get tested for most STDs totally FREE. Don’t want to tell the case manager you’re gay? Lie. They won’t hook you up to a polygraph.
@IDoNotHaveToAgreeWithYou: I agree on that $20. EPT tests are only $10! Clearview tests use blood and are around the same price as a simple oral swab? Makes no sense. Anything HIV/AIDS-related is big business and has been since GRID.
@DCguy: Zika is spread by mosquitoes where HIV is not, so it is rather urgent to develop a vaccine if possible. You’re also failing to factor in that some viruses are less complicated than others. Zika is also sexually transmitted, so it’s not only “scaring straight people”.
1898
It blows my mind that there are so many people who aren’t getting tested or have NEVER been tested, but there is definitely an access factor in the US depending on where you live (so-called blue states tend to have better access to free testing than the so-called red states), and I think age is a factor too… a lot of the guys I’ve met who are under the age of 25 don’t use condoms, some have NEVER used condoms, they didn’t learn about HIV in their middle school or high school health classes, and when asked about it, they seem to think it’s ancient history. A few of the slightly more educated ones use Truvada but are ignorant about all the other STDs/STIs out there.
I live in Maine and I’ve never had to pay money for an HIV test. There are multiple agencies all over the state that offer free tests. You don’t need an appointment, you don’t need insurance, you don’t need to be low-income and you don’t even need to provide your name. You just walk in and get tested. It’s fast, easy, and you can grab a fistful of free condoms and lube packets on your way out. I guess I’m lucky to live in a place that makes it so easy to know your status.
beverleyvasquez
I was diagnosed with HIV this year, and for some reason my mind was ready for that answer since I had been showing strange signs since January of this year. Both my love were there with me when I got the news and we are both very supportive, and I am truly thankful for that. I told my closest friends, one of them being the girl I really like, and she has been supporting me since I started this whole process and has always given me support. So far no one has turned their back on me due to ignorance or anything like that. I am thankful that I have not fallen into a depression or anything like that. On Monday August I get my result for CD4 (T-cell) count and virus load count, and I am hoping I have a high level of T-cells. The last thing I have lost is hope and that was what lead me to Dr Odia of ( [email protected] ) Who helped me with herbal herbs medicine to get me cured of this disease, and I would like to let others know that even though sometimes we might feel the world is going to come down on us, there will always be someone we can count on, who will support us and love us. I am not in a support group at the moment but I would love to be in one, meet others and share with them my testimony. This is not the end of the world; this is not a reason to give up on our hopes and dreams. We are in control, not the disease. Contact him:( [email protected] ) as I am right now, I am grateful.