by Emily Bridges, Director, Public Information Services

Teen condom use over the last 2 decades has increased but work is still needed. In this week’s MMWR on trends in HIV-related risk behaviors among high school students we learn that while condom use among sexually active high school students has increased over time (from 45% in 1991 to 60% in 2011), it has leveled off since 2003 – indicating that progress has stalled.  Among Black students, who experience higher rates of HIV than white students, condom use has actually decreased significantly since 1999.  Lawrence Stallworth, an activist with Advocates for Youth and Cleveland AIDS Task Force, commented on the rise in new infections among young African American men who have sex with men in this AP article.

A new report from the Black AIDS Institute has devastating news about the HIV epidemic and Black gay men:  “A young Black gay man has a roughly 1-in-4 chance of being infected by age 25. By the time he is 40 years old, the odds a Black gay men will be living with HIV is roughly 60%. One can scour the entire world and struggle to find a population more heavily affected by HIV/AIDS than Black gay in the U.S.” Lawrence Stallworth is also profiled in this report!

A blog entry from AIDS.gov explains the “treatment cascade” and how initial gaps in diagnosis and treatment lead to millions without adequate care.  “For every 100 individuals living with HIV in the United States, it is estimated that: 80 are aware of their HIV status; 62 have been linked to HIV care; 41 stay in HIV care; 36 get antiretroviral therapy (ART); and only 28 are able to adhere to their treatment and sustain undetectable viral loads.

The drug Truvada was recently approved as “pre exposure prophylaxis,” meaning that people who are at high risk for HIV may use it as HIV prevention.  Here is a list of frequently asked questions about Truvada from the maker of the drug.  More guidance as to its usage is expected from the FDA and other public health entities by the end of this year.

The Journal of the American Medical Association found that of the nearly 192,000 people living with HIV in the United States, 31,000 were born outside the United States.  Many immigrants experience strong barriers to HIV diagnosis and treatment, also discussed in the article.

Many adolescents involved in pregnancy, whose partners have concurrent relationships, are not aware of the concurrency. In this study in Sexually Transmitted Diseases, researchers surveyed nearly 300 pregnant adolescents and their partners and found that 60% of participants were not aware their partner had other partners.  Concurrency is a major factor in STI rates; researchers point out the need to improve sexual communication in this population.

More than a third of births in the United States are the result of unintended pregnancy. This proportion has not declined since 1982. Women ages 20-34 account for 68% of these, teens, 22%, and women over 35, 9%.