Gay men should be screened frequently for HIV, researchers say

Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, analyzing data from gay men testing for HIV antibodies in South Beach, Fla., report that all sexually active gay men should be screened at least annually for HIV infection, and those engaging in high-risk activities or with multiple partners should test more often, AIDS Weekly reports. "Reporting multiple (four or more) anal sexual partners during the past 12 months was significantly associated with a positive test result," the researchers report in their study, published in the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice. "Our results support the new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines regarding more frequent testing for sexually active men who have sex with men, with having a high number of anal partners being a significant indicator of need for testing more often than annually in our population." The researchers found that about 8% of the gay men taking HIV antibody tests received a positive diagnosis. Of those, more than half had not been screened for HIV within the previous 12 months.