Drug-Resistant HIV

Notably, in a 2005 case in New York, the strain was "so fast-acting that it progressed from initial infection to full-blown AIDS within three months."

From Metrokc.gov:

KING COUNTY, WASHINGTON - Four King County men have tested positive for similar HIV viruses that are highly resistant to several antiretroviral drug classes. One of the men was tested in late 2005, and the other three were tested in 2006. Last month researchers identified a likely link between all four cases. Drug-resistant HIV is of concern because it is more difficult to treat -- drug options are limited and may be less effective, more expensive, and cause more side effects.

According to Dr. Bob Wood, the HIV/AIDS program director for Public Health, "It's conceivable there can be more infections, and the gay community is at highest risk." There is currently no indication that the strain is spreading rapidly.

Unfortunately, experience indicates that sexually-transmitted diseases do, over time, show up everywhere. For example, Lymphogranuloma Venereum (LGV), a potentially serious form of chlamydia, was essentially unheard of in Europe and the U.S. prior to 2000 but was prevalent in Africa, Southeast Asia, Central and South America, and Caribbean countries. Since that time, there has been a dramatic rise in reported European cases and a number of infected individuals have been diagnosed on the U.S. West Coast and in Canada.

Consequently, the drug-resistant HIV strain may now be a small cluster in Seattle but I'd expect it to start showing up elsewhere in the U.S. before long.

Importantly, methamphetamine, or crystal meth, use is being blamed for helping spread HIV and LGV since it is the drug of choice among gay party-goers. Apparently, meth use gives gay men Godzilla-like libidos leading to a marked increase in the number and duration of sexual episodes. More and longer episodes of sex means more opportunities for infection.