Almost one in every 5 sexually active gay/bisexual men, also known as MSM (men who have sex with men) is HIV positive, and 44% of them do not know they are infected, according to a CDC report – Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) – published yesterday. According to the study involving 21 major cities in the United States, those most likely to be unaware of their HIV positive status are African-American and young individuals.

Kevin Fenton, M.D., director of CDC’s National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, said:

This study’s message is clear: HIV exacts a devastating toll on men who have sex with men in America’s major cities, and yet far too many of those who are infected don’t know it. We need to increase access to HIV testing so that more MSM know their status, and we all must bring new energy, new approaches, and new champions to the fight against HIV among men who have sex with men.

These findings add weight to President Obama’s recent drive for a National HIV/AIDS Strategy for the United States, which stressed that:

The United States cannot reduce the number of HIV infections […]