A cross-section of articles we've read this week about HIV/AIDS, STIs and a wide cross-section of structural and systemic factors impacting HIV/AIDS in Black communities.

MSM

CDC: Gay Men Only 2% of Population 

CNSNews.com) -- Men who have sex with men comprise about 2% of the U.S. population but they are the risk group most affected by HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in their latest Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).

Half of HIV-Positive Gay Men in US Aren't Getting Proper Treatment 

CDC report recommends greater effort to boost HIV testing and retain patients in care.

PrEP Will Need High Adherence, High Effectiveness and High Coverage in Specific Populations to be Affordable in the US, New York Study Finds 

A study based on New York City that modelled pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) uptake there has found that in order to be affordable, PrEP would need to be tightly targeted at gay men at higher risk of HIV infection. Within this target population, it would need high levels of usage.

Science

Irradiation Plus Transplantation Shown to be Effective for Treating HIV/AIDS 

Yerkes National Primate Research Center researchers are the first to show that an irradiation plus transplantation combination approach in nonhuman primates can be used to treat or even possibly cure HIV/AIDS, and this new model is providing some answers about the "Berlin patient," the only human thought to have been cured of AIDS. The study is published in the journal PLOS Pathogens.

Miscellaneous

4 Conversation-Starters for Gay and Bisexual Men, By Gay and Bisexual Men 

As gay and bisexual men, it can be overwhelming -- and in some cases, downright exhausting -- to keep HIV at the front of our minds and on the tip of our tongues. But talking about it, with a friend, a doctor or a potential partner, can ease our anxieties and potentially change our thinking and our actions for the better.

Healthcare Reform is Making a Difference in Each State 

Millions of Americans across the country are benefiting from the stronger coverage and consumer protections made possible by the Affordable Care Act.

Texas and Florida Expand Medicaid - For Kids 

Republican lawmakers in Florida and Texas snubbed the Affordable Care Act's Medicaid expansion for adults, but their states did broaden the program this year -- for school-age children.

U.S. Judge Blocks Obamacare Tax Rule for Non-Exchange States 

An Oklahoma federal judge dealt a blow to President Barack Obama's health-care law, invalidating IRS rules aimed at making policies affordable for consumers around the country.