Why is it that AIDS is more common to gay people? is it because of the anal sex?

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Dustin M	You mean to say "why is it that HIV is more common to gay people". AIDS isn't anymore common to any race, unless you factor in that Africans and alot of Asians don't have access to HAART (High Activity Antiretroviral Therapy). But yes, anal sex causes more fissures and breaks in the skin that allow the virus to transmit, plus it can go through the anal canal and up into the colon, and eventually make it's way into your body alot easier than it could through vaginal or oral sex. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

------	I'm not quite sure why, but we were learning about AIDS in health class a couple weeks ago. When I was reading the chapter about it in the text book, it said when AIDS appeared in the US in the early 80's (first reported case of it was in 1981 in the US) that it was primarily a gay mans disease when it first spread however, today that's changed and anyone has it or whatever. But that could have something to do with it. Who knows. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

vtdamon	It's not!!! When AIDS first came to our knowledge, it was through a few gay men who had the disease. Compound that with the extreme homophobia of the time, and voila! It gets pegged a gay disease. When it first came out, they even called it GRIDS for a while, standing for Gay-Related Immuno Deficency Syndrom. When heterosexual celebrity Rock Hudson had AIDS, we began to take notice and acccept that this was not a gay disease at all. Unfortunately, before that could happen thousands of people died and contracted the disease. Some people think that if we'd faced the AIDS epidemic head on, rather than passing it off as a gay problem, we might have been able to erradicate it completely. For the first 10 or so years that we knew about AIDS, the only ASO's (Aids Service Organizations) were founded by gay people who were sick of watching members of their community die. Hospitals refused to treat people with HIV/AIDS, and so again, members of the gay community began to pick up the slack and create health organizations for people with HIV/AIDS. When the disease first came to our knowledge, we had no idea how it was spread. Heterosexuals tended to assume they could get it from touching a gay person, and became paranoid. Homosexuals had no idea that it could be passed sexually, and therefore the disease continued to spread. Infact, it was people from the gay community who researched AIDS to discover that condoms could be used to help prevent HIV/AIDS. Today, HIV/AIDS is as common among heterosexuals as homosexuals (not that 50% of those infected are gay, and 50% straight, but that the same % of homosexuals are infected as the % of heterosexuals... if that makes sense....). Infection rates are increasing fastest among young heterosexual females. Hope this helps, feel free to email me with any further questions. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

Firespider	I don't think its more common in gay people anymore. Aids is for everyone. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

its just me	i think it is because they dont have to worry about pregnancy so thats why they are less likely to use condoms Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

tifaislove21	Because its anal sex. When you have that it bustes vains, and also transmits more germs. Anal sex is very dangerous, its so dangerous it can even cause your apendex to erupt. Anyone who dose it needs to either be VERY careful or stop, i would recomed for people to stop and go with oral, oral is much safer in a way. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

huggz	Anal intercourse is more damaging to the body and more likely to cause sites where the infection can enter. Its also that until the event of aids gay sex rarely included the use of condoms; Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

Jenn	yes it is. the rectum is more vascular and tears easier thus leaving it more suseptible to transmission of the HIV virus. obviously the rectum was NOT made for this type of activity and therefore is easily injured. generally it is higher in the gay male population. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No