Less than a third of gay men in developing
countries have been tested for HIV.
Image: iStockphoto
On the eve of World AIDS Day (Tuesday, 1 December), a landmark paper documents the failure of low and middle income countries to protect men who have sex with men from contracting HIV/AIDS.
The research, led by academics from the University of New South Wales (UNSW), was commissioned by UNAIDS and presents the largest set of data available on HIV prevention in men who have sex with men (MSM) in low and middle income countries (LMIC).
The research, which has just been published in a special issue of the Journal of AIDS, shows that on average fewer than a third of MSM in these countries have ever been tested for HIV (31 per cent), around a third have been reached by HIV prevention programs (33 per cent), fewer than half had correct HIV knowledge (44 per cent) and just over a half had used condoms the last time they had sex with a man (54 per cent).
“Until now there has been no compilation of data describing levels of HIV testing, coverage of HIV prevention programs, HIV knowledge and condom use among MSM in low and middle income countries. Our work provides reliable global estimates,” says the lead author of the paper, Dr Philippe Adam, Senior Research Fellow at the National Centre in HIV Social Research (NCHSR).
“These data indicate that in many poorer countries, HIV prevention responses in MSM need substantial improvement,” says Dr Adam.
“These men still suffer from extreme discrimination,” says Professor John de Wit, the Director of NCHSR and one of the other authors of the paper. “In addition, some of these countries do not yet acknowledge that MSM exist in their countries and that they are at a substantially higher risk of being infected by HIV. This lack of recognition is also evident from the fact that only 45 per cent of low and middle countries reported on the HIV prevention needs and responses in MSM.
“Effective HIV prevention responses to the epidemic among MSM are needed in all countries and they are needed now,” says Professor de Wit. “I hope that our paper will contribute to raising awareness of the problem within governments and will also give international donors the leverage to demand action.”
Don Baxter, Executive Director of the Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations said: “Since the last international AIDS Conference in Mexico last year the impetus to improve the health and human rights of MSM in low and middle income countries has become a global priority. This paper makes an important contribution to reducing the research gap that has existed until now and clearly sheds light on the needs of this group both in terms of public health and human rights.”
The study used data that is periodically collected as part of the monitoring of progress on commitments member countries made at the UN General Assembly Special meeting on HIV in 2001.
|
