Our YouTube of the Month selection

Do you feel you have these experiences before? Well it might not be as "and they lived happily ever after" and for some of us are still in the verge of searching. So in the meantime, Use barriers all the time.

Barebacking with HIV

Are you HIV+ or dating someone with HIV? You've probably heard of a recent Swiss study that asserted that "people with undectable viral loads are sexually non-infectious." Turns out that isn't the case.

Here's the Reuters article:

People with HIV on effective antiretroviral therapy should not stop using condoms. In fact, HIV infections could quadruple if those responding well to antiretrovirals stopped using condoms, said Australian researchers. Their findings rebut a report earlier this year, made by the Swiss Federal Commission for HIV/AIDS.

Even if the risk of HIV transmission for a single sexual contact is fairly small, it is not zero, and the risk from exposure becomes substantial over large numbers of sexual contacts, the Australian study found. The researchers' risk assessment was based on mathematical models of 10,000 serodiscordant couples having 100 unprotected sexual contacts per year over a decade.

"The expected number of HIV infections would be 3,524 for male-to-male transmission, corresponding to an increase in incidence of four times compared with incidence under current rates of condom use," said the study.

"When the viral load goes down in the blood due to antiretrovirals, it might not go down in the semen or vaginal and anal fluids," said Australasian Society for HIV Medicine President Jonathan Anderson, who was not involved in the research. "Antiretrovirals can complement consistent condom use, but replacing condom use with medications may end in disaster."

HIV Rates Much Higher than Originally Reported

Medscape Medical News reports a drastic revision of US rates of HIV infection:

New HIV infections in the United States reached 56,300 in 2006, according to long-anticipated figures released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)on August 2. That is about 40% more than the previous estimate of 40,000 annual infections, which the CDC has been using since the early 1990s.

This comes on the heels of a Reuters report of a disturbing new study by the American Foundation for AIDS Research:

Globally, men who have sex with men are 19 times more likely to be infected with HIV than the general population, yet MSM are ignored by many UN member states that pledged to monitor the disease among at-risk groups.

Asian MSM are 18 times more likely to be HIV-infected than the general population, and African MSM are at least four times more likely to be infected. In Latin America, MSM are 33 times more likely to be infected and account for nearly 25 percent of those infected. Nonetheless, MSM programs receive less than 1 percent of total HIV/AIDS spending in the region.

Criminalization of sex between males and institutionalized homophobia are key drivers of HIV/AIDS in many countries, preventing MSM from accessing even basic HIV services, the report concluded. In seven of 10 countries with the highest rates of HIV among MSM, homosexual activity is criminalized. And in seven UN member states, it is a capital crime.

NPR's Talk of the Nation featured an interesting discussion on these stories today. You can listen to the podcast here. The New York Times has a video about the blurring of gay and straight identity contributing to HIV here.

New Gay Online Soap Opera

The City of West Hollywood has helped to fund a new show called In the Moment. This is the first episode and I'm interested to hear what you think of it. Watch at home as its probably not safe for work. Does it relate at all to Salt Lake's gay scene or would you say we are more conservative? I hear a lot of stories about guys being pressured not to use condoms in (and out) of relationships.


Find more videos like this on In The Moment

Saturday is National HIV Testing Day!

Are you sexually active? We recommended that you get tested for STD's every 3-6 months, about as often as you get your oil changed. Its like a sexual health lube job! This Saturday is National HIV Testing day, so we are offering Saturday Testing!

Where: Utah AIDS Foundation (1408 S 1100 E)

When: 10am-2pm

Tests offered:

HIV Rapid Test (Free or Donation)

Chlamydia (Free)

Gonorrhea (Free)

Syphilis ($5)

Hepatitis C ($25)

Finally, Planned Parenthood will be back at UAF on Monday offering Hep A/B Vaccinations from 5-7pm. Cost is $10 (the series typically costs $120).

HIV Rates in Utah Up 32%

The Deseret News reports:

HIV diagnoses in Utah were up 32 percent in the first quarter of this year compared to the same period last year, with the majority of cases in Salt Lake City.

"This is what's considered the third wave of the epidemic. People have become complacent," said Beltran. "They're not seeing people die from AIDS because medications are more effective in staving it off, so the fear factor is no longer present. And people are sick of hearing about" HIV/AIDS prevention methods, such as condom use, she said.

Here's the Tribune's take:

A 32 percent spike in Utah's HIV rate this year compared with the same period last year has prompted the Utah AIDS Foundation to forgo federal HIV prevention funds so that it can create a more upfront campaign targeting gay men.

The department has rejected some sexually suggestive ads aimed at gay men, who comprise the majority of HIV cases in the state. Of the 25 new HIV cases in the first quarter of 2008, 83 percent were among gay men. Younger men ages 20-30 are at high risk and represented the majority of infections in 2007.

UAF rejected this year's grant of $87,000 and is asking donors to cover the cost of its new campaign that aims to normalize condom use, "Unleash the Power of the 'C.'" A focus group of gay men held Thursday applauded the approach, said Penfold.

The Utah AIDS Foundation attributes the jump to:

1. Improvements in anti-retroviral drugs that have extended the lives of the
   infected but also lead youth to falsely believe the disease is
   curable.
2. Young men who grew up after the 1980s AIDS
   epidemic think of AIDS as a problem in Africa, not America.
3. The use of methamphetamine and alcohol that contribute to risky
   behavior.

Your thoughts?