🎈 Howzit! No Mo’ Love for Rubbas in da H.I.V. Battle? 🚫❤️
⬇️ Pidgin | ⬇️ ⬇️ English
Da kine talk around town been sayin’ dat da big guns fo’ fight H.I.V. getting less love these days, yeah? Condoms, da ol’ reliable, not getting da props they deserve, wit’ all da eyes on meds fo’ prevent dat nasty bug. 🦠💊
Da scene, especially wit’ da gay and bisexual braddahs, showing less rubba action than eva before. Dis decline, sheesh, real kine steep among da young bloods and da Hispanic ohana. Da new study jus’ drop, screaming loud fo’ some new moves in da H.I.V. prevention game. Researchers all pilikia, saying we gotta step up our game. 🏳️🌈📉
Fo’ real, da last decade been all about PrEP, dis prevention med, helping bring down da H.I.V. numbers small kine. But, even wit’ all da talk story and push for da drugs, da uptake among Black and Hispanic men, who like da same gender, still on da low side. And on top of dat, da rubba use? Going down across da board, making all kine other sick stuff more easy fo’ catch. 🚫🔽
Dem researchers say we been all in on PrEP, kinda forgetting da old school – condoms. Steven Goodreau, one H.I.V. akamai guy from University of Washington, say promoting PrEP mean well but kinda left condoms in da dust. 🤷♂️💔
Da big dogs at da CDC say they still talking up condoms, making sure local health departments throwing them around as part of da plan to fight H.I.V. But still, da H.I.V. numbers, though they been dipping, not as good as other places around da globe or some African countries getting hit hard. 🌍📊
Da gay and bisexual men, they really catching da short end of da stick, making up just 2 percent of da U.S. adults but 70 percent of da new H.I.V. cases. And da rates? Through da roof for Black and Hispanic guys compared to da white dudes. 📈😢
Back in 2012, PrEP come out swinging, showing promise fo’ keep H.I.V. away. Fast forward, and now we know folks with H.I.V. who stay on their meds can’t spread it through sex. Dis info kinda made some guys less worried, maybe even skipping da condom more often, Goodreau mentions. 🛌🚫
While everybody been pumping money into PrEP, getting it popular among white gay men, da Black and Hispanic guys not really joining in as much. Issues with insurance and trust for da doctors playing a part. 💸🚫
Dis new study on condom use, just hit da streets, looking at online survey answers from gay and bisexual kāne and teens from 2014 to 2019. Shows dat even though guys may not be all in on PrEP, da love for condoms also not what it used to be. In 2019, bout half da guys say they sometimes use condoms, but only 17 percent always wrapping it up. PrEP users? Only 12 percent. 📝🔍
Da real talk is among da guys not on PrEP and negative for H.I.V., two-thirds say they been having sex without condoms. And da young Hispanic guys? Their no-condom game jumped 19 percent in just one year. Same time, H.I.V. rates for Hispanic gay men went up 3 percent yearly, while kinda stabilizing or dropping for others. 📈💔
Carlos Saldana, one infectious disease expert, say we not doing enough fo’ da young Hispanic guys, especially da newcomers. And wit’ some places cutting back on L.G.B.T.Q. stuff in schools, like what’s going down in Florida, da need fo’ community groups to step up even bigger. 🏫🚫
Even da feds seem to be slipping, not pushing condoms hard enough in da battle plans against H.I.V., Goodreau points out. But Carl Dieffenbach from da National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases say, no worry, they still on it, making sure condoms part of da conversation. 🇺🇸💬
So, da word on da street? We gotta bring back da love fo’ condoms, alongside all da new kine meds, to keep da H.I.V. fight strong. Cuz in da end, every tool in da toolbox count, yeah? 🛠️❤️🔙
NOW IN ENGLISH
🎈 What’s Up! The Decline of Condoms in the H.I.V. Battle 🚫❤️
There’s a buzz going around that a traditional weapon in the fight against H.I.V. is falling out of favor: condoms. They’re not getting as much attention these days, overshadowed by the focus on preventative medications. 🦠💊
In particular, gay and bisexual men are using condoms less than ever before, with a significant decline observed among younger and Hispanic individuals. A new study brings this worrying trend to light, highlighting the critical need for improved prevention strategies in the ongoing battle against H.I.V. 🏳️🌈📉
Over the past decade, the introduction of PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) has contributed to a moderate decrease in H.I.V. infection rates. However, despite extensive public health efforts to promote these medications, their adoption among Black and Hispanic men who have sex with men remains disappointingly low. Meanwhile, condom use has declined across the board, leading to an uptick in sexually transmitted infections. 🚫🔽
Researchers argue that the intense focus on PrEP has led to the neglect of condoms as a prevention tool. Steven Goodreau, a leading H.I.V. researcher from the University of Washington, emphasizes that while promoting PrEP is important, it shouldn’t eclipse other preventive measures like condoms. 🤷♂️💔
The CDC acknowledges the drop in condom usage but insists that it continues to advocate for their use. Federal funding for H.I.V. prevention requires local health departments to include condom distribution in their strategies. Despite these efforts, the decline in H.I.V. rates in the United States—from 2017 to 2021—lags behind that of other affluent Western countries and even some heavily affected African nations. 🌍📊
Gay and bisexual men are disproportionately affected by H.I.V., accounting for just 2% of U.S. adults but 70% of new H.I.V. cases. Rates of infection are particularly high among Black and Hispanic men compared to their white counterparts. 📈😢
PrEP made a groundbreaking entrance in 2012, offering nearly complete protection against H.I.V. when taken daily. Subsequent findings that effectively treated H.I.V. cannot be transmitted through sex have likely contributed to the reduced use of condoms, according to Goodreau. 🛌🚫
Despite significant investment in promoting PrEP, particularly among white gay men, uptake among Black and Hispanic men has been slow, hindered by lower insurance rates and greater mistrust of healthcare providers. 💸🚫
The study on condom use, published in the journal AIDS and Behavior, analyzed responses from a large online health survey of gay and bisexual men and teenagers from 2014 to 2019. It revealed that while PrEP use is not widespread, condom use has also declined. In 2019, about half of the participants reported inconsistent condom use, and only 17% used them consistently. Only 12% had used PrEP recently. 📝🔍
The most concerning data came from respondents at the highest risk who had not recently used PrEP. Around two-thirds reported having recent sex without a condom, with a notable increase in condomless sex among young Hispanic individuals, which rose by 19% in just one year. During the same period, H.I.V. rates among Hispanic gay men increased annually by 3%, while rates stabilized or declined among other groups. 📈💔
Carlos Saldana, an infectious disease expert, criticizes the lack of targeted sexual health messaging and education for young Hispanic men, including migrants. With some regions, like Florida, reducing LGBTQ+ content in schools, the gap in education becomes even more pronounced. 🏫🚫
Furthermore, federal efforts to promote condom use in the fight against H.I.V. appear to be waning, according to Goodreau. However, Carl Dieffenbach from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases disputes this, asserting that condoms remain a crucial part of their messaging. 🇺🇸💬
The takeaway? There’s a pressing need to rekindle interest in condoms and ensure their accessibility, alongside promoting PrEP, to strengthen the fight against H.I.V. After all, every tool in our prevention arsenal matters. 🛠️❤️🔙
