CDC-Funded HIV Testing, HIV Positivity, and Linkage to HIV Medical Care among Young MSM in the United States, 2013

background:  Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (referred to as MSM) are disproportionately affected by HIV.  The disparity is greater among young, minority MSM. 

methods:  CDC-funded HIV testing, HIV positivity, and linkage to HIV medical care for 61 health department jurisdictions were analyzed for young MSM aged 13-29 years.  Data to identify MSM are required for testing events in non-healthcare settings but are required only for HIV-positive persons from healthcare settings (68.8% of CDC-funded tests in 2013).  

results:  In 2013, 127,359 CDC-funded HIV testing events, majority from non-healthcare settings, were conducted among young MSM.  Of those, 63.3% were among MSM aged 23-29 years, 30.6% among black/African American MSM, and 25.0% among Hispanic/Latino MSM.  Also, 5,885 (0.5%) were HIV-positive, and 4,408 (0.3%) were newly identified HIV-positive. HIV positivity was highest among black/African American MSM (8.5% HIV-positive; 6.2% newly identified) and MSM aged 23-29 years (5.0% HIV-positive; 3.7% newly identified).  Eighty-six percent of newly identified MSM were linked to medical care within any timeframe, and 77.6% were linked within 90 days.  There was a significant increase in identifying HIV-positive MSM and newly identified HIV-positive MSM from 2011 to 2012 and 2013 (p≤.001), but there was no significant difference from 2012 to 2013 (p>.05).

discussion:  Programs appear to be testing young, minority MSM and are approaching the National HIV/AIDS Strategy’s goal of 85% linked within 90 days among young MSM.  However, the identification of new positives appears challenging.  Further targeting efforts are needed to help identify undiagnosed young MSM.