I am so sick of this discussion I could take a hostage.
A few facts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (www.cdc.gov):
So much for the “condoms break” theory - extremely low risk. Sounds like you’d be more likely to get into a car accident.
“High degree of protection” from the CDC sits quite comfortably with me.
From the National Institutes of Health (www.niaid.nih.gov/factsheets/aidsstat.htm):
[quote]
HIV/AIDS WORLDWIDE
[ul][li]As of the end of 2000, an estimated 36.1 million people worldwide – 34.7 million adults and 1.4 million children younger than 15 years – were living with HIV/AIDS. More than 70 percent of these people (25.3 million) live in Sub-Saharan Africa; another 16 percent (5.8 million) live in South and Southeast Asia.[/li]
[li]Approximately 47 percent of the 36.1 million adults living with HIV/AIDS worldwide are women.[/li]
[li]An estimated 5.3 million new HIV infections occurred worldwide during 2000; that is, about 15,000 infections each day. More than 95 percent of these new infections occurred in developing countries.[/li]
[li]Worldwide, more than 80 percent of all adult HIV infections have resulted from heterosexual intercourse.[/ul][/li][/quote]
Did y’all forget that there are other countries outside the United States again? Golly! But for those so inclined:
[quote]
HIV/AIDS IN THE UNITED STATES
[ul][li]The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate that 800,000 to 900,000 U.S. residents are living with HIV infection, one-third of whom are unaware of their infection.[/li]
[li]Approximately 40,000 new HIV infections occur each year in the United States, about 70 percent among men and 30 percent among women. Of these newly infected people, half are younger than 25 years of age.[/li]
[li]Of new infections among men in the United States, CDC estimates that approximately 60 percent of men were infected through homosexual sex, 25 percent through injection drug use, and 15 percent through heterosexual sex. Of newly infected men, approximately 50 percent are black, 30 percent are white, 20 percent are Hispanic, and a small percentage are members of other racial/ethnic groups.[/li]
[li]Of new infections among women in the United States, CDC estimates that approximately 75 percent of women were infected through heterosexual sex and 25 percent through injection drug use. Of newly infected women, approximately 64 percent are black, 18 percent are white, 18 percent are Hispanic, and a small percentage are members of other racial/ethnic groups.[/li]
[li]From 1985 to 1999, the proportion of adult/adolescent AIDS cases in the United States reported in women increased from 7 percent to 23 percent.[/li]
[li]Of the estimated 16,273 AIDS-related deaths in the United States in 1999, 8,238 were among blacks, 4,850 among whites, 3,009 among Hispanics, 106 among Asians/Pacific Islanders, and 57 among American Indians/Alaska Natives[/ul][/li][/quote]
Let’s not forget about those minorities, either, who remain at higher risk than most. The CDC also reports that from 1985 through 1999, whites have almost halved their number of new AIDS cases, while blacks have almost doubled theirs, and Hispanics continue to increase. In 1999 the rate of new AIDS cases among blacks was 8 times higher than among whites.
Again, from the NIH:
According to UNAIDS, out of the 5.3 million people newly infected with HIV in 2000, 4.7 million were adults, and of those, 2.2 million were women. Of the 36.1 million currently living with HIV/AIDS, 34.7 million are adults, and of those, 16.4 million are women. In addition, they estimate the greatest increase among new infections in high-income countries is among injecting drug users.
So, do the largest total number of HIV/AIDS cases still comprise mostly of men who have sex with men? Yes. Do they remain the largest risk group? No - women and minorities are currently holding that title.
So I don’t care who you are or who you fuck - play it safe and play it smart.
Esprix