We are in a new era. The paradigms of the first era of this epidemic don't fit. Our approach to prevention must change. To put some data on this theory, Sheila T. Murphy of the University of Southern California surveyed 503 gay or bisexual men on the streets of West Hollywood, California, and found that the more optimistic the men felt about the new drug therapies, the less likely they were to use condoms during anal sex, limit their number of sex partners, or determine their partners' HIV status. It's a combination of things-the success of the new drugs, as well as where we are in the epidemic.
People are pretty weary, and just want it to be over.
Most African-American women now contract HIV through heterosexual sex with partners who use drugs, or bisexual men, not through injection drug use. But gay men of all races still comprise the largest proportion of new infections each year and require special attention. Where we've invested, in medical research, housing, treatment, and access to care, we've seen results in declining death rates. The one stark exception is the area of prevention. The Omens As in a storm watch, several small signs can coalesce into a picture of what might be coming.