Researchers asked whether they thought their partners were HIV-positive, a question Klevens says is rarely asked in AIDS studies. The CDC study found that heterosexuals who contracted HIV generally seemed to be unaware whether their partners had the virus. For example, while 81 percent of men knew their partners were at high risk for HIV, only 35 percent knew their partners were HIV-positive. In Africa, on the other hand, AIDS is largely a disease of heterosexuals. U.S. statistics show that no more than 5 percent of all AIDS cases involve heterosexual sex among people who weren't in high-risk groups, Klevens says.
Most cases are still because someone had sex with someone who had a primary risk factor.
The most recent CDC figures show about 40,000 Americans are infected with HIV each year. The CDC findings could spell trouble if heterosexuals start letting down their guard, says Tanya Ehrmann, director of public policy at AIDS Action, which coordinates 3,200 community-based organizations. In this country, we still have a hard time thinking of this as a disease of heterosexuals. We do that to our own detriment and are at risk of endangering our own health. Heterosexuals who have multiple sex partners must still consider getting an HIV test, Klevens said.