AIDS Rates Surge
Among African-American Men

The rates of HIV among young African-American men who have sex with men have skyrocketed, reported the Centers for Disease Control on Thursday.

The CDC's report showed that in the 33 states where data was collected, the number of HIV or AIDS cases increased among all adult and adolescent MSM in all age groups from 2001 through 2005. The largest increase came with African-American MSM ages 13-24, with a staggering 80% increase.

"This dramatic increase in HIV rates is yet another in a series of clarion calls to Congress and the Department of Health and Human Services that young people need culturally relevant and realistic sex education to protect their health and save their lives," said Debra Hauser, executive vice president of Advocates for Youth, in a release.

The CDC's news follows recent reports that one in four teen girls has a sexually transmitted disease and teen birth rates increased for the first time in more than a decade.

"We will never be able to adequately address the sexual health needs of young people when our government insists upon funding abstinence-only-until-marriage programs that censor vital information about contraception and condoms and demonize homosexuality. All young people have the right to honest sexual health information," said Hauser. (The Advocate)