Modern times have brought remarkable advances in medicine and science and human rights. But human behavior is difficult to manage especially when it involves private consensual sex. AIDS is still a world-wide scourge that kills tens of thousands of people a year. Venereal disease is common in all countries but many people deny their health problems and avoid health care out of fear of being shamed. The challenge is staggering at the individual and global levels. Yet the work must go on, from small underfunded clinics in Africa to massive global HIV efforts funded by the United Nations.
Listed here on this new page are recent health reports from around the globe describing a wide range of medical issues that confront LGBT people--as well as the larger heterosexual population.
1 Addressing Social Determinants of Health 12/08
1a South Africa Considers Male Circumcision as Part of HIV Prevention Plan 3/09
1b Research: Male Circumcision and HIV Prevention 6/09
2 Black Gay Men May Be At Increased HIV Risk 6/09
3 There are no gay pride parades in Jamaica 6/09
4 Adherence to HIV treatment differs by race and ethnicity 6/09
5 Confronting HIV and Mass Imprisonment 7/09
6 Gay men sexually abused in childhood more likely to have risky sex and get HIV 7/09
7 HIV-positive gay men in UK still disproportionately affected by syphilis and LGV 7/09
8 Government Targets MSM On HIV Prevention 7/09
9 Africa: AIDS hits health services 7/09
9a State sees steady rise in HIV among gays 7/09
9b Effects of Race and Ethnicity on HIV Medication Adherence 7/09
9c Why are LGBT people less healthy? 7/09
10 Homosexuality, Hinduism and Section 377 7/09
11 Swedish study finds gay brains resemble those of opposite sex 7/09
11a Beijing's HIV/AIDS cases up 21% year on year in first five months 7/09
12 Collaboration Needed to Fight STDs 7/09
13 NGO introduces antidiscrimination toolkit for MSM group 7/09
14 Plan to improve the health of homosexual men in Latin America 7/09
15 Southeast Asia Regional Meeting 7/09
16 Mr HIV and the fight to save the humans 7/09
17 Aids: Role of Gay Men in Spreading Virus Is Ignored in Africa, Study Finds 7/09
17a The World Health Organization endorsed male circumcision 7/09
17b Commentary: HIV and Circumcision in Denmark and Africa 8/09
18 Psychologists Reject Gay ‘Therapy’ 8/09
19 Penis size affects attitudes towards condom use 8/09
20 Data shows HIV among MSM in Asia Pacific poses alarming health crisis 8/09
21 HIV Among MSM Ignites Volatile Cross-Cultural and Economic Issues 8/09
22 Bi Health Summit to explore bisexual concerns in Chicago 8/09
23 Challenging the stigma of minority sexual practices 8/09
24 Bisexuality 101: Are there health issues specific to bisexuality? 8/09
25 Encouraging Safer Sex Among Men At HIV/AIDS Risk 8/09
26 Mental Health and Being Gay 8/09
27 Encouraging signs on HIV 8/09
28 Lack of circumcision was not associated with HIV 8/09
29 Circumcision not as beneficial for gay men 8/09
30 AIDS 50 Times Higher In Gay/Bi-Men Than Other Groups 8/09
31 Health and Human Rights...A Resource Guide 9/09
32 Counterfeit sex drugs: 11 deaths and 24 coma cases 9/09
33 AIDS vaccine cuts the risk of HIV infection in big Thai study 9/09
34 Terrence Higgins Trust offers HIV detection test four weeks after exposure 9/09
35 New trial of HIV vaccine in gay men begins 10/09
36 MSM: A neglected HIV risk population in Africa 10/09
37 APCOM’s engagement at the 9th ICAAP 10/09
38 Correlates of Forced Sex Among Populations of MSM in Thailand 10/09
39 Death by denial: Symposium explores HIV denial, conspiracy theories 10/09
40 The testing imperative 10/09
41 Circumcision protects gay men who have a 'preference' for insertive sex from HIV 11/09
41a National Geographic discusses possible bases for orientation 11/09
42 Advertiser promotion: New sperm and egg donor website launches 11/09
43 Report: Inequalities Fueling AIDS Pandemic In Latin America 11/09
44 One in five people with HIV harassed or threatened 11/09
45 World AIDS Day: This year's biggest HIV and AIDS news stories 12/09
46 Gay by nature: Part one 12/09
47 Gay by nature: Part two 12/09
48 First ever consultation on MSM HIV/AIDS Care & Support held in Bangkok 12/09
49 Securing the Voice of African Men who have sex with men 12/09
51 Gay, bisexual men who have social anxiety tend to engage in risky sex 12/09
52 The reality of gay-related mental health problems 12/09
53 Appropriate Therapeutic Responses to Sexual Orientation 12/09
54 Pack of Services to Reduce HIV among (MSM) and (TG) Populations in Asia 12/09
55 HIV prevalence and risk behaviour varies 12/09
56 Fridae.com launches Asia's largest-ever Internet gay sex survey 01/10
57 Stigma driving AIDS crisis among African gays 1/10
58 Me and my foreskin: About HIV prevention, circumcision & anal sex 2/10
59 Sexual and Gender Identity Disorders 2/10
60 Mass screening 'could eradicate AIDS in 40 years' 2/10
61 Drugs 'could stop spread of Aids' 2/10
62 Aids: is the end in sight? 2/10
December 2008 - Centers For Disease Control
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Addressing Social Determinants of Health: Accelerating the Prevention and Control of HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB External Consultation December 9–10, 2008 · Atlanta, Georgia
March 20, 2009 - pbs.com
1a
South Africa Considers Male Circumcision as Part of HIV Prevention Plan
by Talea Miller, Online NewsHour with Jim Lehrer
Male circumcision, which was recommended in 2007 by the World Health Organization as a prevention method for HIV, is receiving new attention from countries like South Africa that are struggling to fight the epidemic. Each day at the Bophelo Pele male circumcision center in the Johannesburg township of Orange Farm, South Africa, a medical team of three doctors and 16 nurses performs about 100 circumcisions for adult men in the community.
The procedure is relatively simple, and so is the goal - to help prevent HIV transmission. But despite high-profile studies in recent years showing circumcision reduces the risk of heterosexually acquired HIV infection by approximately 60 percent, getting the message out about the importance of the procedure is not always easy.
"It's a 20 minute surgery but the whole process takes much longer because we are visiting households one by one in the community, delivering information," said University of Versailles professor Bertran Auvert, who heads the program with South African-based doctor Dirk Taljaard. For now, Bophelo Pele, which is funded by the French National Agency for Research Against AIDS, is the only center in the HIV-plagued country that provides free circumcisions for the purpose of HIV prevention.
But the South African department of health and the South African National AIDS Council are considering providing the service in the future and are in the early stages of assessing how to proceed. "The discussions are still at very, very early stages," said Fidel Hadebe, spokesperson for the South Africa department of health. "But male circumcision is going to form part and parcel of HIV prevention in this country."
June 02, 2009 - USAID.gov
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Research: Male Circumcision and HIV Prevention
Under the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, USAID has been supporting preliminary activities to investigate male circumcision as a potential tool to prevent transmission of HIV.
Global Interest in Male Circumcision
The effect of male circumcision (MC) on the risk of HIV infection – and the practice's impact on the spread of HIV across different populations – have for many years been subjects of interest to epidemiologists and other researchers. Numerous studies have noted a decreased risk of infection in circumcised men as well as continued low HIV prevalence rates in populations that traditionally practice MC. Especially now that a randomized controlled trial in South Africa has found a 60 – 75 percent reduction in HIV risk1, international bodies such as the United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), World Health Organization (WHO), and World Bank, along with growing numbers of HIV/AIDS and reproductive health program professionals, have become interested in MC. Under the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has also been supporting preliminary activities to investigate male circumcision as a potential tool to prevent transmission of HIV.
Background
Male circumcision (removal of the foreskin of the penis) is a common practice in many cultures. It may be a birth ritual or, as in many parts of sub-Saharan Africa, a rite of passage performed around adolescence. In clinical settings, it is normally done as a quick outpatient procedure using local anesthesia.
Researchers have noted links between MC and HIV prevalence rates since the 1980s. The body of research now includes:
* A review that analyzed the findings of 38 studies, mostly in Africa, and found that circumcised men appear to be less than half as likely to be infected by HIV as uncircumcised men. A sub-analysis of 16 of these studies found an estimated 70 percent reduction in HIV infection among higher-risk men (see table: Geographic Variation of HIV and Estimated MC Prevalence).2
June 29, 2009 - Science Daily
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Black Gay Men May Be At Increased HIV Risk
ScienceDaily - Black gay men have less choice when it comes to sexual partners than other groups and, as a result, their sexual networks are closely knit. These tightly interconnected networks make the rapid spread of HIV more likely. In a study1 looking at social and sexual mixing between ethnic groups in men who have sex with men, H. Fisher Raymond and Willi McFarland, from the San Francisco Department of Public Health in the US, show that social barriers faced by Black gay men may have a serious impact on their health and well-being.
In the US, there is a disproportionate burden of HIV infection in Black Americans, who accounted for nearly half of all HIV/AIDS cases diagnosed in 2006 – four times the national average. Raymond and McFarland’s research looks at the current levels of sexual mixing between racial and ethnic groups of men who have sex with men in San Francisco, and identifies reasons that underlie these sexual mixing patterns. A total of 1,142 gay men took part in computer-assisted interviews. They were asked about their own ethnicity, the race of their sexual partners in the last six months, their perception of how easy it is to meet sexual partners of different ethnicities, where they meet sexual partners, their view of HIV infection risk and the predominant race of their network of friends.
Black gay men are the least preferred of sexual partners by other races. Black men are perceived to be riskier to have sex with, which can lead to men of other races avoiding Black men as sexual partners. They are also perceived as less welcome in the common social venues of gay men in San Francisco. As a result, Black men are three times more likely to have sexual partners that are also Black, than would be expected by chance alone.
In the authors’ view, the combination of attitudes on the part of non-Black gay men, friendships and social networks that are less likely to include Blacks, and the environments found in gay venues serve to separate Black gay men from other groups. Consequently, the sexual networks of Blacks are pushed to be more highly interconnected than other groups, with the potential for a more rapid spread of HIV and a higher sustained prevalence of infection among Black gay men. The authors conclude: “The racial disparity in HIV observed for more than a decade will not disappear until the challenges posed by a legacy of racism towards Blacks in the US are addressed.”
June 29, 2009 - World Focus
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There are no gay pride parades in Jamaica
Lisa Biagiotti is working on signature stories for Worldfocus on HIV/AIDS and homophobia in Jamaica. She reported with Producer Micah Fink and Director of Photography Gabrielle Weiss, both from the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. Their reports will air on Worldfocus later this summer. Lisa gave the below interview to Thirteen.org.
Q: Gay pride is celebrated across the U.S. every June. Could there be similar celebrations of gay pride in Jamaica?
Lisa Biagiotti: No, there could not be an openly gay pride parade on the streets of Kingston, Jamaica, as in New York or San Francisco. In Jamaica, anti-sodomy laws criminalize sex between men, fundamentalist interpretations of the bible and pride in reproduction contribute to the general disdain and non-acceptance of the gay lifestyle. The idea of a “glass closet” best describes the public’s expectations of homosexuals, meaning, “We know you’re gay, and we can see you, but stay in that glass closet.” In fairness, Jamaica tends not to be a heavily PDA (public display of affection) culture. You don’t see men and women petting each other or even holding hands in public, with the exception of the dancehalls.
One thing that was interesting was the way homophobia finds its way into the language, in the choosing (or avoiding) of certain “gay” words. When little boys call each other “sissy” names, they say “you’re a battyman.” “Batty” means buttocks and is a derogatory name for a gay man. Saying the number “two” — referring to the anus — is also avoided. We heard a story of a father instructing his two-year-old son to say he’s going to be three. You’d say “come forward” instead of “come back.” If you’re ordering fish to eat, you’d say, “Give me a swimmer or a sea creature.” “Fish” is another term for a gay man.
Q: This anti-gay side of Jamaica doesn’t really jive with what many Americans may think of Jamaica. (Stereotypically, sun, fun, Bob Marley and “no problem, mon.”) How did you become interested in this topic?
Lisa Biagiotti: I first became interested in the subject of gay Jamaicans about 18 months ago. I was reporting on gay asylum in the U.S. and was told that Jamaica was one of the most violent and homophobic places for gays. I was told by human rights organizations that if you’re gay and Jamaican, you’d qualify for asylum. I then spent a year profiling Alex Brown, a gay Jamaican who received asylum in the U.S. In all honesty, this portrait of Jamaica was completely foreign to me — it contradicted the image of the Jamaica I know and love.
Q: Your mom is Jamaican, and your family ties to Jamaica span three generations. Was it difficult to report these seemingly negative stories for Worldfocus? What did your family think?
Lisa Biagiotti: At first, I was concerned we were doing advocacy journalism. I questioned whether we were imposing our U.S.-centric views on a country with a different cultural bedrock. Did we really understand the Jamaican culture, which is steeped in religion? Admittedly, I was protective of Jamaican people, who I still hold to be some of the warmest and most resilient people on Earth.
Going into these stories, I was aware of my bias. As a journalist, first-hand observation served as my guide. My team and I went to the places where people were literally living in hiding. We listened to the palpable stories of many gay men — the violence against them, the families that rejected them, the double lives they lead and the idea of mainstreaming their lifestyle to “make it right with God.” We spoke to hundreds of Jamaicans from all walks of life to try to understand the cultural nuances and attitudes toward homosexuals. And everywhere we went, we heard the same things — said with varying levels of vitriol. Open homosexuality is not accepted. Tolerance and violence really depends on class and whether people act on their general disgust toward gays.
After observing and speaking with people on the ground, I’m confident that the stories we’re producing are fair and accurate illustrations of Jamaican attitudes toward homosexuals. As for my family in Jamaica and abroad, I believe they will respect that. Our goal is not to change Jamaican culture and mores, but to present what it’s like to be gay in Jamaica, and why it is important for the general population to talk about homosexuality because gay men are living double lives in secret.
Q: What do you mean by “double lives?” How is this playing into the spread of HIV?
Lisa Biagiotti: A recent Ministry of Health study showed that more than 30 percent of gay men are HIV+. It was a small sampling of about 200 gay men. But it was one of the first surveys conducted within the gay community. Whether or not the study is actually reflective of the larger gay community is questionable, but this rate is still 20 times higher than that of the general population.
What’s important here is that gay men are not isolated from the rest of the population. These men lead double lives — one gay life underground and another “heterosexual” life to save face in their communities. Gay men have girlfriends and wives and children, who likely do not know of their secret lives. This poses a threat to spreading HIV into the general population. So, when you layer this 31.8 percent figure over the laws, religion and general stigma against homosexuality, you’re masking the problem and potentially spreading the infection into the general population.
Q: How does the Jamaican government address the HIV problem without acknowledging the gay community?
Lisa Biagiotti: It’s difficult to target the gay community because they’re not out in the open. There could be no ad campaign in Jamaica talking about using condoms for anal sex because anal sex is illegal and punishable with a 12-year prison sentence of hard labor. The channels of awareness and education of gay men are limited and insufficient.
I should also mention that, on the flip side, Jamaica has made incredible strides in making anti-retroviral medication free and accessible to everyone. Early testing has whittled down the mother-to-child HIV transmission rate to under 5 percent. But the gay community is not siloed from the general population and could potentially reintroduce the disease into the general population.
Q: Given the extreme anti-gay discrimination and level of violence in Jamaica, did you ever feel that you were in danger as you covered these stories?
Lisa Biagiotti: Every day, approximately four or five people are murdered in Jamaica. For a country the size of Connecticut, with 2.8 million people, that’s a staggering murder rate. I don’t know if I had a false sense of security, but I never felt in danger. We had local guides taking us around and introducing us to communities, and I think that was key. We made sure we had introductions wherever we went. We told people we were reporting on homosexuality, HIV and AIDS. We knew these were touchy topics, but we were open and I think Jamaicans appreciated our honesty, and were in turn welcoming.
June 30, 2009 - aidsmap.com
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Adherence to HIV treatment in US gay men differs by race and ethnicity
by Michael Carter
Levels of adherence to HIV treatment differ significantly between racial groups, US investigators report in the online edition of the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes. They also found that the factors affecting adherence differed between racial groups. Furthermore, different levels of adherence were seen within racial groups according to ethnicity.
“Adherence is multifactorial and varies significantly by race and ethnicity”, comment the investigators. A number of factors can have an impact on a patient’s ability to adhere to their HIV treatment. These can include health status, side-effects, socioeconomic circumstances, and drug and alcohol use. Although some research has suggested that racial minorities have lower rates of adherence, there is little information on possible reasons for this. Furthermore, black and Hispanic are often used as separate, uniform categories without taking into account the important ethnic differences that can exist within these groups.
Both blacks and Hispanics are disproportionately affected by HIV in the US. Therefore investigators from the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study investigated how adherence differs according to race and ethnicity, and the factors affecting adherence. The study involved 1102 gay men. All were HIV-positive and taking antiretroviral therapy. They were asked to define their race (white; black; Hispanic; or other) and to select one of 19 categories that they felt best described their family’s national or ethnic background. Individuals were also asked to provide details of their adherence to their antiretroviral therapy.
To determine which factors affected adherence, the men were asked to provide details of their socioeconomic circumstances, drug use, viral load and CD4 count, and symptoms. Overall, most of the men were white (58%), with 26% being black and 14% Hispanic. There were marked differences in the economic circumstances of these racial groups, with 48% of black men reporting that they had an annual income of $10,000 or less, compared to 31% of Hispanics, and 10% of whites.
Drug use patterns also differed significantly. Crack cocaine use was higher amongst black men (22%) than either whites (8%) or Hispanics (4%). However, white men were more likely to report the use of poppers (34%) than either Hispanics (19%) or blacks (13%). Complete adherence to their HIV treatment was reported by 44% of white men, 32% of Hispanic men and 28% of black men. After controlling for factors including socioeconomic circumstances and drug use, white men were the group least likely to report non-adherence. Compared to whites, Hispanics were 2.16 times more non-adherent, and black men 1.37 times more non-adherent.
Factors associated with non-adherence differed between the racial groups. For white men, younger age, joint pain and viral load were all significantly associated with non-adherence. For Hispanic men the factors also included younger age and viral load. The factors associated with non-adherence amongst black men were complex. Neither younger age nor viral load were significant. However, financial difficulties, a doubling of the cost of prescription medications, a new skin rash, and use of crack cocaine were.
Finally the investigators looked at adherence according to the self-reported national and ethnic identity of Hispanic and black men. Amongst Hispanic men, adherence was higher amongst men who described European descent (44%), than amongst men who said their family origins were either in Central or South America (28%) or the Caribbean (22%). Similarly, adherence was highest amongst black men who said their origins were European (38%), than those reporting African (28%) or Caribbean (13%) descent. “We found that blacks and Hispanics are more likely to be nonadherent and that individuals from Central and South America and the Caribbean are especially at risk of nonadherence”, write the authors. They conclude, “further adherence research and interventions should focus not solely on racial groups but also the ethnic differences within groups.”
July 2009 - Champ
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Welcome to Project UNSHACKLE!...Confronting HIV and Mass Imprisonment
Project UNSHACKLE is building a powerful community-based movement at the complex intersection of HIV and mass imprisonment.
We are uniting people who are formerly imprisoned, HIV policy advocates, researchers, AIDS service providers, prison justice organizers, people with HIV and other community members, and organizers from allied movements.
Together we are working to address the ways that imprisonment makes our communities more vulnerable to HIV.
Click here to download our presentation mapping the intersection of HIV and imprisonment, and Project UNSHACKLE's work to transform this deep and persistent structural vulnerability.
July 01, 2009 - aidsmap.cpm
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Gay men sexually abused in childhood more likely to have risky sex and get HIV
by Michael Carter
An experience of sexual abuse in childhood or adolescence is associated with an increased risk of gay men becoming HIV-positive in adult life, American researchers report in the July 1st edition of the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes. The research also showed that men with a history of sexual abuse in early life had higher levels of depression and problematic drug and alcohol use, as well as being less receptive to HIV prevention interventions. “This is the first study…to demonstrate a predictive relationship between a history of childhood sexual abuse and high rates of HIV infection among HIV-uninfected men who have sex with men,” comment the investigators.
July 01, 2009 - aidsmap.com
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HIV-positive gay men in UK still disproportionately affected by syphilis and LGV
by Michael Carter
The resurgent syphilis epidemic in the UK shows no signs of abatement, a new report from the Health Protection Agency (HPA) shows. In 2007, over 3700 cases of the infection were diagnosed, the focus of the epidemic being gay men. More encouragingly, however, there are some indications that the pace of the lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV) epidemic appears to be slowing.
Syphilis
By the late 1990s, syphilis had become a rare sexually transmitted infection in the UK. In 1997, however, an outbreak occurred amongst heterosexuals in Bristol, followed by a series of outbreaks from 2001 onwards amongst gay men in Brighton, London and Manchester. Between 1997 and 2007 there was a ten-fold increase in the number of syphilis infections diagnosed in the UK, from 301 in 1997 to 3762 in 2007. Over the last ten years, 73% (9560) of all syphilis cases have involved gay men. The HPA report notes that “the characteristics of these patients have changed little over the course of the epidemic.” Around a third of patients are aged between their mid-30s and mid-40s, 90% are white, and a third are also infected with HIV. The infection is thought to have been contracted through oral sex in a third of cases.
Contract tracing has traditionally been an important component of syphilis control, but the HPA notes that 56% of cases involving gay men were reported to have been acquired from casual partners, making this strategy impractical. There have also been 3375 syphilis diagnoses in heterosexuals. In 2008, 68% of new infections were acquired in the UK and 63% involved white patients. As with gay men, a third of infections were diagnosed in individuals aged between 35 and 44. Diagnoses of congenital syphilis have also increased markedly, from 136 in 1999 to 448 in 2007. Antenatal screening can detect the infection in pregnant women, but the HPA notes that in some areas only 77% of pregnant women are being screened for the infection.
LGV
After the introduction of antibiotics, LGV became a very rare sexually transmitted infection in the UK. However, the infection reappeared in 2003/04 and by the end of 2008 a total of 849 cases had been diagnosed in the UK. As with syphilis, the infection’s main focus has been in white gay men aged between 35 and 44. Most cases of LGV in the UK have involved HIV-positive men (75%). Moreover, a third were also infected with another sexually transmitted infection. New diagnoses reached a peak in the third quarter of 2005, when there were 80 cases. There has been a general downward trend since then and, in the last quarter of 2008, there were just 25 diagnoses.
The vast majority (72%) of LGV cases have been in London, with smaller outbreaks in Brighton (7%) and Manchester (4%). However, the HPA notes that isolated cases have been reported throughout the UK. Only 7% of LGV infections are thought to have been acquired abroad.
“The epidemics of infectious syphilis and LGV have both been influenced by developments in the HIV epidemic,” comment the report’s authors. Both infections have disproportionately affected HIV-positive gay men, a group who have more sexual partners and often select other HIV-positive men for unprotected sex. This has facilitated the spread of these, and other infections, through networks of HIV-positive gay men. “The delivery of effective interventions within the context of these dynamic, diverse epidemics remains a challenge,” add the authors.
02 July 2009 - Behind The Mask
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Government Targets MSM On HIV Prevention
by Nanjala Majale (BTM Correspondent)
Kenya – The Kenyan government has emphasized the need for increased awareness on the use of condoms among commercial sex workers and homosexuals, groups it says are most affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Head of the National Aids and STD Control Programme, Dr Nicholas Muraguri, told reporters on Wednesday at a press conference in Nairobi that this would be a sure way of reducing the spread of the syndrome.
“Commercial sex workers and men who have sex with men are contributing up to fifteen percent of our HIV infections every year. This is a huge population, so there is a need for us to focus,” Dr Muraguri said. “Half of the clients of men who have commercial sex with men sex are actually married and therefore they may be a bridge for HIV infections in other areas,” he added. Muraguri also outlined plans to expand awareness programmes to the rural areas.
“It looks like in urban areas, condom use access and availability is actually good but in the rural population, we have a challenge. And that is why we are now moving towards working with the social organisations and youth groups at a lower level to help with the distribution.” He further stated that youth who were exposed to such awareness campaigns were more likely to protect themselves against HIV infections than those who were not.
“Over 55 percent of sexually active males between the ages of 15 to 24 years exposed to condom advertisements were more likely to report consistent condom use with non-spousal co-habiting,” he said. The medic explained that there was a higher HIV prevalence among 15 to 24-year-old women compared to men. “This indicates a need to design a forceful and persuasive campaign on HIV prevention strategies targeting female youth”, he concluded.
July 02, 2009 - aidsmap.com
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Africa: AIDS hits health services
Reproduced from Plus News
The HIV/AIDS pandemic has dealt a body blow to the delivery of health care services in countries hard hit by the disease, new research has found. The National Bureau of Economic Research at Princeton University in the United States compared data from national Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) in 14 sub-Saharan African countries – eight in relatively low-prevalence west African countries and the remainder in higher-prevalence east and southern African countries.
Data on antenatal care, birth deliveries and rates of immunization for children born between 1988 and 2005 revealed that in countries with a high HIV/AIDS burden, health care for mothers and children started deteriorating in the mid-1990s and kept declining as HIV prevalence rose. In 2005, women who attended antenatal clinics in east and southern Africa received significantly fewer diagnostic tests than 10 years earlier, and those who delivered at a health facility were much less likely to be attended by a trained health care professional.
The researchers calculated that where HIV prevalence increased by 10 percent between 1995 and 2005, a woman's likelihood of having her blood pressure taken when visiting an antenatal facility decreased by 21 percent, while the probability of a trained attendant being present when she gave birth fell by 14 percent. Similarly, as regions with low HIV prevalence were vaccinating more children against polio shortly after birth, children in high-prevalence regions were increasingly less likely to be vaccinated.
The authors suggest that non-HIV health services deteriorated in high-prevalence regions because the pandemic reduced the number of trained health personnel, and shifted health budgets and other resources towards caring for HIV patients. Data revealing the effects of significant increases in foreign aid earmarked for HIV/AIDS and the expansion of antiretroviral (ARV) treatment in recent years are not yet available, but the authors note that: "Women and children in sub-Saharan Africa cannot wait for another round of DHS surveys to come online – we must find alternative ways to investigate the roots of this erosion in services."
July 4,2009 - Herald
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State sees steady rise in HIV among gays
by Herald Reporter
Panjim - While the population of gays in Goa is about 2000, HIV prevalence among this segment (Men having sex with Men — MSM) has been found to be 7.93 per cent. (see box). The random sample survey conducted by Goa State AIDS Control Society (GSACS) as part of its sentinel survey 2007, revealed that rate of HIV prevalence was highest among men in the age group of 30-44 with 10.34 per cent.
In the age group 20-29, the rate of infection reported was 9.24 per cent while it was as low as 2.33 per cent among MSM below 20 years. A total of 225 persons were randomly examined in the sample survey. The Supreme Court delivering a historical judgment this Tuesday decriminalised consensual sex among adults of the same sex. According to medical experts, MSM are at higher risk of HIV infection. Dr Pradeep Padwal, Director of GSACS speaking to Herald said, because of anal sex, chances of injury among MSM are more. The passive partner rather than active is more prone to HIV infection, he said adding GSACs through its intervention programme, conducts awareness among these people.
Currently, it is implementing three projects through NGOs as targeted intervention. The sample survey also throws light on the trend of infection in this segment. Samples from all types of occupations were picked up for the survey. The 2007 survey revealed that the rate of infection was found to be 22.22 per cent among unemployed and, hotel staff 12.20 per cent whereas, among unskilled workers it was 9.09 per cent and truck and auto drivers 5.71%. In the service sector, it was found to be 8.57 per cent and factory workers 4.55 per cent.
July 6, 2009 - AIDSmeds.com
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Effects of Race and Ethnicity on HIV Medication Adherence
Hispanic and black men with HIV were more likely than white men to miss doses of their HIV medication, according to a study published online in The Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes (JAIDS). The JAIDS study also revealed that Hispanic and black men of Central and South American or Caribbean descent were more likely than those with European family ties to have problems with adherence.
A number of HIV studies have found differences in adherence rates to antiretroviral (ARV) therapy by race and ethnicity. Few studies, however, have focused on differences in adherence among men who have sex with men (MSM) or people from differing geographic backgrounds.
To determine the effects of race and geographic background on adherence rates among MSM, Debra Lee Oh, MSc, from the University of California in Los Angeles, and her colleagues analyzed surveys from 1,102 men enrolled in the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS). The men were followed between April 2002 and October 2006. Fifty-eight percent of the men were white, 26 percent were black, and 14 percent were Hispanic. Significantly more men of color had incomes of less than $10,000 per year, compared with white study subjects.
After controlling for factors such as age, financial difficulties and drug use, race was a significant predictor of poorer adherence. Oh’s team found that Hispanic men were roughly two times as likely to have adherence problems as white men. Black men were about 1.5 times more likely to miss doses as white men. For white and Hispanic men, younger age and higher viral loads were associated with poorer adherence. For black men, it was skin rash, higher ARV costs, financial difficulties and crack cocaine use.
Geographic origin also affected adherence. Forty-five percent of Hispanic men with European roots—from Spain, for example— reported high adherence levels, compared with 27 percent of Central and South American men and 22 percent of Caribbean men. Adherence rates in black men were also significantly affected by family origin. Higher adherence was reported by 37 percent of black men who had European roots, while only 28 percent of those of African descent and 13 percent of those of Caribbean descent reported high adherence.
Oh and her colleagues point to the large sample size and the long follow-up period as potential strengths of the study. They acknowledge, however, that the study results may have been negatively influenced by the fact that participants self-reported race and geographic background. They also state that because participants showed high rates of personal motivation to remain in the MACS, they may be more likely to adhere to HIV treatment than men not enrolled in a study. Oh’s team recommends that future adherence studies look at ethnicity as well as race.
July 6, 2009 - The Bilerico Project
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Why are LGBT people less healthy?
by Alex Blaze
Empire State Pride Agenda has put out an interesting study of 3500 LGBT people who live in New York State and their access to health care. LGBT people generally receive less health care, and it's not just because of a lack of marriage or DP benefits. The number one reason is homelessness:
"At the national level, researchers have estimated that LGBT people lag behind on seven of the ten targets set by the U.S. government to improve health nationally, called Healthy People 2010. In New York City, we know that LGBT lag behind on at least six of NYC's health goals, called Take Care New York. However, most states do not measure sexual orientation on their health surveys, and none have consistently measured gender identity.[...]
For example, fourteen percent of all LGBT people, including one-third of transgender New Yorkers, are or have been homeless at one time--and we know that people who are homeless also lack other basic services. As one service provider who works with youth told us, "Housing is health care." Youth and adults who are homeless frequently cannot access health services at all. Youth who are transgender are particularly vulnerable."
We blog every now and then about stories about LGBT people getting kicked out of religious and gendered homelessness services, a problem that exacerbates homelessness brought on both job discrimination and rejection by families of origin. But don't expect any action nationally on this issue, since homelessness is still one of the issues Congress finds easiest to put off - not only are homeless people unlikely to donate to political campaigns, they are also unlikely to vote. And the rest of us feel better just ignoring them.
The study explains more about the connection between health care and homelessness (pdf):
"Key informants who participated in focus groups recognized the importance of housing to health and human services. One staff member of an urban program for LGBT homeless youth said, "For us, [the most pressing health and human service need] is housing...housing is healthcare. Once we've housed people who are unstably housed, their lifestyle changes. If they are engaging in unprotected sex, involved in street work...once they become steadily housed, they are more open to protecting themselves and using condoms. Once they become housed, they become more adherent to medical treatment. When they are on the street, they are not adherent to their medical regimens with HIV, etc. They feel more in control, and they have somewhere to live. It's more comforting and allows them to deal with other stuff." Another provider, a physician who works with LGBT youth of color said, "As a physician, I'd go out on a limb and say [the most pressing issue is] it's stable housing for LGBT youth, particularly trans youth."
Youth are particularly at risk for homelessness, and this study finds the same bizarre fact that that study in Vancouver that made headlines earlier this year did, LGB youth are more likely than heterosexual youth to get pregnant:
"In New York City, LGB youth are more likely to have been pregnant or made someone pregnant, to have missed school or been injured in a physical fight, to have been physically hurt by an intimate partner or forced to have sex.
The Needs Assessment survey included 13% of respondents between the ages of 18 and 24. Because the survey could not ask questions of people under 18, the survey results on youth are limited to those who were in this young adult category.
Young adults aged 18-24 were more than six times as likely to report that they are currently homeless than were older adults in this sample. Several key informants who participated in focus groups or interviews suggested that homelessness for LGBT youth is one of the most pressing health and human services issues. A staff member at an LGBT health center explained that homelessness and poverty have specific negative consequences for LGBT youth, saying, "Homelessness [is something] we see a lot among young clients we work with. One of the things we hear recently in terms of the economy is that based on the difficulty getting part-time jobs, people looking for summer jobs, it looks like there may be more young people turning to sex work this year, this spring and this summer, than have in the past...How do we support them in a way that doesn't encounter violence and protects their health?"
The report cites other issues that result in us having worse health than the population at large: higher than average rates of substance abuse, social isolation and loneliness, and finding culturally competent medical care top the list.
Health care access is fundamentally a question of poverty and how wealth is distributed. And while it's important to demand that the White House and Congress move on providing health care benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees, addressing basic issues like housing right in our own backyards would probably do more to increase access to health care than expanding the scope of the copulative relationships we reward with health care access.
July 7, 2009- GlobalPost.com
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Homosexuality, Hinduism and Section 377
by Satyameva Jayate
A hurried post from the middle of my travels. Pl. use this thread to post your comments and thoughts on the matter of homosexuality, Section 377, the recent judgement of the Delhi High Court, Homosexuality and religion etc.
Thanks to Sanjay for alerting me to this article.
*** Caution: Explicit Content ***
Homosexuality and Religion
Hinduism. Hinduism is the world’s oldest living religion, and Hindus constitute about one-sixth of the world’s population today. Hindu communities foster a wide range of philosophy and practice, and revere thousands of texts as sacred. There is a Hindu God and a story or variation of a story related to practically every activity, inclination, and way of life. Hindus consider this diversity expressive of divine abundance and everything in the universe a manifestation of divine energy. Every God and Goddess is seen as encompassing male, female, neuter, and all other possibilities, and every living creature as having divine potential. The simultaneity of unity and multiplicity is a basic Hindu premise. Variations in gender and sexuality have been discussed in Hindu texts for over two millennia; same-sex love flourished in precolonial India, without any extended history of persecution.
July 8, 2009 - PinkNews
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Swedish study finds gay brains resemble those of opposite sex
by Jessica Geen
Swedish scientists have suggested that brains of gay people may share similar physical attributes to those of the opposite sex. Previous research has found differences between men and women in the extent to which they employ the brain’s hemispheres in verbal tasks, while other studies have suggested that gay people people may exhibit the tendencies of the opposite sex in brain behavior unrelated to sexual activity.
In this study, Ivanka Savic and Per Lindström, of the Department of Clinical Neuroscience at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, say they believe the brains of heterosexual men and lesbians are slightly asymmetric, with the right hemisphere larger than the left. However, the brains of gay men and straight women were found to be symmetrical. The study, which analysed the brains of 90 subjects through MRI and PET scans, also found that in connectivity of the amygdala (which is used for emotional learning), lesbians resemble straight men, and gay men resemble straight women.
The authors suggested that one reason for the connectivity pattern in straight men and lesbians could be that the amygdala is wired for a greater fight-or-flight response. Last year, another study found that the brains of gay men and women have structural and functional differences from those of their straight counterparts. The Wellcome Trust Centre for neuro-imaging at University College London used MRI scans to look into the brains of 80 men and women, including 16 gays and 15 lesbians.
They found that lesbians have a "male-like" proportion and distribution of grey matter in their brain when compared with heterosexual women.
July 9, 2009- news.cn
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Beijing's HIV/AIDS cases up 21% year on year in first five months
Beijing (Xinhua) - Beijing reported 501 new HIV/AIDS cases in the first five months this year, an increase of 90 cases from the same period last year, the capital's disease control and prevention center said Thursday. Among the new cases, 221 were male homosexuals, who accounted for 44 percent of the total, said Deng Ying, director of the Beijing Disease Control and Prevention Center. Deng said last year, male homosexuals accounted for 29 percent of the city's new HIV/AIDS cases.
So far, Beijing has reported 6,383 HIV/AIDS cases, including 1,343 locals, 4,722 from other domestic provinces and 247 foreigners. Xie Hui, a Beijing Health Bureau official, said the city would strengthen intervention aimed at HIV transmission via sex among high-risk groups. All 18 districts and counties would establish intervention teams consisting of health staff, police and volunteers, Xie said. The teams would go to hotels and amusement venues to spread AIDS prevention knowledge and distribute condoms at lease once a month.
Xie did not give more details about the plan. China had reported more than registered 290,000 HIV/AIDS cases by May this year, including more than 90,000 AIDS patients. Experts estimate there are about 700,000 people infected with HIV in the country.
July 10, 2009 - HIV Plus Mag.com
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Collaboration Needed to Fight STDs
Community-based organizations that provide health services to gay men play a critical role in detecting and preventing the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, according to a report released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Magnet, a health center run by the San Francisco AIDS Foundation in the city's Castro district, along with five other community-based organizations across the country, provided data for a study of clinic-based testing for gonorrhea and chlamydia. The study suggests that community organizations detect thousands of cases of gonorrhea and chlamydia each year, and reach men who may not otherwise get tested at public clinics or by private physicians.
"Gay-focused community-based organizations typically do not require health insurance for access, are located in neighborhoods with many men who have sex with men, and provide culturally competent services for a historically stigmatized population," the report says. Because gonorrhea and chlamydia among gay and other men who have sex with men remain public health concerns and can increase the transmission of HIV, the study points to the need for strong partnerships between government and community organizations and calls for increased financial and technical support of local groups by public health departments.
"The findings of this CDC study make it clear that we need expanded sexually transmitted disease screening and treatment, targeted services that also help prevent HIV in men who have sex with men," said Mark Cloutier, CEO of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation. "Magnet and similar community-based health centers are providing vital leadership in disease control and prevention among this highly vulnerable community."
The CDC recommends at least yearly screenings for rectal gonorrhea and chlamydia for men who have had receptive anal intercourse over the past year and annual testing for pharyngeal gonorrhea for men who have participated in receptive oral intercourse during the preceding year. More frequent testing is recommended for men who have multiple partners or have sex in conjunction with illicit drug use. However, studies show that a low percentage of sexually active gay men are screened at the minimum recommended frequency, at least for gonorrhea.
The study found that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's lack of approval for state-of-the-art, sensitive tests for rectal and pharyngeal screening hampers efforts to control the spread of gonorrhea in this population. As a result, most health care providers only test for urethral infections with commonly available urine tests, and the largely asymptomatic rectal and pharyngeal infections go undiagnosed, increasing the risk of HIV transmission. The six organizations involved in the study are among the few in the country to conduct pharyngeal and rectal testing.
"At Magnet, we provide health information to our customers that is relevant to their sexual activity and offer access to appropriate testing and screening," said Steve Gibson, director of Magnet. Specimens collected at Magnet are tested by the San Francisco Department of Public Health's Microbiology Laboratory.
In addition to Magnet, the study examined data from Howard Brown Health Center in Chicago, Callen-Lorde Community Health Center in New York City, AIDS Healthcare Foundation in Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center, and the Gay City Health Project in Seattle. The report is part of the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report series and can be found at www.cdc.gov/mmwr.
July 2009 - Thanhnien News
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NGO introduces antidiscrimination toolkit for MSM group
by Michael Smith
A Vietnamese NGO introduced a new toolkit to reduce stigma and discrimination toward “men who have sex with men” (MSM) at a working group meeting for MSM organized by UNAIDS in Ho Chi Minh City. The toolkit, which has been developed with UNAIDS funding, is designed to educate families, media and authorities about MSM to reduce discrimination so MSM members feel freer to access services for health and HIV/AIDS.
At the meeting, Dr. Khuat Thu Hong, director of the Institute for the Social Development Studies (ISDS) NGO, which developed the toolkit, demonstrated some of the toolkit’s activities that defined different sexuality groups and behaviors. She told the working group, which has representatives from six provinces in Vietnam, it was very important to be careful with words and to “weigh our words” when talking about homosexuality issues in Vietnam. She said MSM is a behavior not a sexual identity as sometimes heterosexual men have sex with men but do not “see themselves” as gay.
It was important that these groups on the fringe of gay culture be able to access MSM services, she said. Also at the meeting, UNAIDS partnership advisor Ludo Bok announced that the Vietnamese government would be developing national guidelines for HIV control among MSM. He said the MSM working group would be involved in the process.
After the conference Bok told Thanh Nien Daily the guidelines were an important step toward institutionalizing intervention, friendly services and training for different MSM models to become an official part of the health system. There were serious gaps in MSM being able to access services and information at present, he said.
He said figures from the HIV/STI Integrated Biologic and Behavioral Surveillance (IBBS) showed that 9 percent of MSM in Hanoi have HIV/AIDS with 5-8 percent in HCMC, he said. “If something isn’t done, we might have a situation like in Bangkok where the percentage of MSM with HIV/AIDS doubled from 2007 to 2008 from 14 to 28 percent.”
July 10, 2009 - Pan American Health Organization
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Experts to propose plan to improve the health of homosexual men in Latin America
Panama City - Health experts of several countries will meet from July 14 to 16 to propose programs to improve the health of men who have sex with men in Latin America.
Doctor examines patient in MexicoThe "Regional Consultation on Health Promotion and Provision of Care to Men who have Sex with Men in Latin America" is organized by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), in collaboration with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), and the International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care (IAPAC).
Approximately 40 participants are expected to attend the meeting, including government officials, civil society representatives, advisors of the United Nations system, and experts in various technical fields including HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, sexual health, mental health, health services and human rights.
The consultation is expected to produce a plan of action to scale up health promotion and prevention programs for homosexual men, with a focus on their most urgent health needs. In part because of ignorance, stigma, and discrimination, health services have not always been widely available to men who have sex with men in Latin America. In addition, according to the meeting organizers, the health services often lack personnel with expertise in the unique health needs of this population.
Available data show that men who have sex with men are disproportionally affected by HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. Other frequent health concerns are mental health issues, drug and alcohol use, in addition to chronic stress, anxiety and depression as a result of hostility, stigma and discrimination.
According to United Nations agencies, the ability of health systems to meet these needs was greatly improved with the approval of new legislation in the last 20 years decriminalizing sex between men. In 2008, Nicaragua and Panama, the last two countries in Latin America where sex between men was criminalized, revoked such legislation.
The Consultation is part of a series of regional meetings, the first of which took place in Europe (Slovenia, May 2008) and Asia (Hong Kong, February 2009).
July 15, 2009 - HIV M&E Philippines
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Southeast Asia Regional Meeting: Developing Services to Reduce HIV among MSM and Transgender (TG)
Regional Consensus Meeting on Developing a Comprehensive Package of Services to Reduce HIV among Men who have sex with Men (MSM) and Transgender (TG) Populations in Asia and the Pacific; 29 June – 1 July 2009, Bangkok, Thailand
Introduction:
Highly concentrated and severe HIV epidemics among men who have sex with men (MSM) in urban areas across the region are already well documented. For example, the estimated HIV prevalence rate in Bangkok is 30.7%; Phnom Penh – 8.7%; Mumbai – 9.6%; and Beijing – 5.8%. Yet, investments in HIV programming for MSM remains limited, ranging from 0% to 4% of the total spending for HIV programming in countries region-wide. Most other major Asian cities still have a window of opportunity to avoid serious epidemics among MSM – but that opportunity will close soon unless investment and programming are put in place rapidly.
In the majority of the countries in the Asia Pacific region, there is a lack of HIV interventions for MSM which comprehensively focus on prevention, treatment, care and support. A 2006 survey of the coverage of HIV interventions in 15 Asia-Pacific countries estimated that targeted prevention programs reached less than 8% of MSM, far short of the 80% coverage that epidemiological models indicate is needed to turn the HIV epidemic around.
15 Jul 2009 - fridae
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Mr HIV and the fight to save the humans
by News Editor
Standard Chartered Bank has launched "Anti-HIVirus software", a campaign to address protection methods against HIV/AIDS and dispel myths about the disease in a series of six short animated videos. Launched last month, Anti-HIVirus incorporates hard facts about HIV and AIDS - told via an animated character Mr HIV, who plans to attack and destroy the human race - in six fast-moving video segments. The campaign web site www.vir.us is part of Standard Chartered Bank’s commitment to the Clinton Global Initiative to educate one million people on HIV and AIDS by 2010.
www.vir.us also incorporates hard facts about HIV and AIDS; blogs from the Bank’s HIV Champions in various countries; a real time counter; an interactive map tracking the number of people protected through the website; and features partner organisations working with Standard Chartered on HIV education. “As there is no cure or vaccine for HIV, the only way to tackle the virus is to prevent new HIV infections – either by stopping people getting the virus in the first place, or preventing people who are HIV+ from passing it on. Education is a key component in achieving this: knowing the facts allows people to make safe lifestyle choices,” said Vanessa Green, who heads the Standard Chartered's HIV and AIDS education programme.
According to the press statement, the campaign is aimed at providing information to the 15-24 year old population, who account for 45% of new HIV infections globally. The bank, which has operations in over 70 countries, in 1999 launched “Living with HIV” a workplace education programme in response to HIV-related employee absenteeism in one of the Standard Chartered’s African markets. It is today an award winning programme; the latest being Global Business Coalition’s Community Investment Award (2009).
Since 2003, all its employees (currently over 70,000 globally) are required to complete an online e-Learning module available in 10 languages and face-to-face workshops conducted by a co-worker. Known as an “HIV Champions,” over 1000 employees volunteer their time to educate their peers in the Bank and with external organisations about HIV-including components on reducing stigma and encouraging people to get tested for HIV. Vir.us will be translated into other languages: Arabic, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Thai, Indonesian, Korean, Spanish, Portuguese, and French) over the next couple of months.
July 21, 2009 - The New York Times
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Aids: Role of Gay Men in Spreading Virus Is Ignored in Africa, Study Finds
by DonaldG. McNeil Jr.
The role of gay sex in the transmission of the virus that causes AIDS in Africa has been long ignored, say the authors of a new study in the medical journal Lancet. While most transmission of the virus in Africa is heterosexual, 19 recent studies of African men who have sex with men show that they have “considerably higher” infection rates than other adult men in their respective countries, said the authors, who were from Oxford University and research institutions in Ghana and Kenya.
These men also have less access to prevention and care; most African countries have allocated no money to gay men, and homosexual sex is illegal in 31 African countries, in four of which men risk the death penalty.
African male sexual networks overlap with male-female ones, the authors found, since many of the men also report recent sex with women or are married. In three genetic studies the authors compared, gay white men in South Africa had a virus from a type common among gay European and American men, while gay black men in Kenya and Senegal had the type circulating in their country’s black populations.
Gay men face ridicule from their families and health care workers and harassment by the police, the study reported. And because African governments and media aimed very little safe-sex information at gay men, false rumors were common — including rumors that gay sex or anal sex were safer than heterosexual sex.
23 July 2009 - irinnews.org
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The World Health Organization endorsed male circumcision
Cape Town,(PlusNews) - The World Health Organization endorsed male circumcision (MC) as an HIV-prevention measure two years ago, but implementation of large-scale male circumcision programmes has been relatively slow. Several countries in sub-Saharan Africa, where the need is greatest, have only started drafting policies and strategies to roll out programmes in the past year.
UNAIDS calculated that one HIV infection is averted for every five to 15 male circumcisions, and designed a tool to help countries plan large-scale male circumcision programmes. Catherine Hankins of UNAIDS explained it to delegates at the 5th International AIDS Society (IAS) Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention in Cape Town, South Africa. After punching in surveillance data on HIV prevalence and sexual behaviours, and expenditure on performing male circumcisions, including the cost of facilities, drugs, surgical supplies and staff salaries, countries can calculate the cost of a national male circumcision programme, and how many men they would need to reach to achieve the desired results within a chosen time-frame.
In terms of the model, Namibia calculated that a national roll-out costing 823 million Namibian dollars (about US$107.5 million) would result in cost savings of 5 billion Namibian dollars (about US$653 million), based on the number of infections averted. Much of the work on male circumcision is still taking place at the three sites where the clinical trials took place: South Africa, Kenya and Uganda. The Rakai Health Sciences Programme in Kalisizo, Rakai District, Uganda, is carrying out post-trial research on the long-term effects of male circumcision on HIV incidence and behaviour.
Around 3,000 men per year are being circumcised there, with funding from the -US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR)-, and Dr Godfrey Kigozi of the Rakai programme reported that "demand is still overwhelming".
Slow progress
The Bophelo Pele Male Circumcision Project at Orange Farm, outside Johannesburg, the site of the South African trial, is still the only facility in the country that offers free male circumcision for HIV prevention. Dirk Taljaard, the project manager, told delegates that the programme aimed to circumcise 50 percent of young men in the township over a five-year period.
He noted that one surgeon assisted by five nurses can perform between six and 10 circumcisions every hour at a cost of about R350 (U$45) per procedure, and training nurses to carry out the surgery would mean more men could be circumcised, but South Africa does not allow nurses to perform the operation.
Outreach activities to educate households in Orange Farm about male circumcision include door-to-door campaigns, talks at schools and churches, radio spots, and referrals from clinics that treat patients for sexually transmitted infections. Men can proceed with the surgery if they give their informed consent after group and individual counselling sessions that include the offer of HIV testing and information on safe sex, and if they test HIV positive and have a CD4 count above 200, which means their immune systems have sufficient strength.
A significant additional benefit of the programme has been the large numbers of young men it has reached with voluntary HIV counselling and testing. "It gives us an excellent opportunity to engage them about safe sex and HIV, which is very important even if they decide not to be circumcised," said Taljaard.
The programme also revealed widespread confusion among men about the difference between traditional initiation rites and medical circumcision: 45 percent believed they were circumcised when they in fact had intact foreskins; 19 percent of these men tested HIV-positive, compared to 9.5 percent who actually were circumcised.
The finding emphasizes the need for culturally sensitive information delivery about the procedure, followed by individual pre- and post-surgery counselling. "Without political backing and will, male circumcision will have very limited impact," said Taljaard. The South African and Ugandan governments are both drafting policies on male circumcision, while other countries, including Kenya, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia and Swaziland, are at various stages of implementation.
August 1, 2009 - GlobalGayz
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Commentary: HIV and Circumcision in Denmark and Africa: Very Similar, Very Different
by Richard Ammon,, GlobalGayz
The World OutGames 2009 in July/August in Copenhagen was a huge sports event accompanied by a major international Human Rights Conference with the theme of ‘Love of Freedom - Freedom to Love’. One of the nine themes of the conference was Health, In the introduction to that theme the program said: “In many parts of the world LGBT people lack access to services, information, and health education relevant to our experiences, and finding this information can be an uncomfortable, frightening, or unsafe experience.
“Everyone should have equal access to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, without discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation or gender identity. The conference theme will address the physical, mental, psychological and emotional well being of LGBT people as well as the global HIV/AIDS pandemic.”
With this in mind, I arrived in Copenhagen a few days before the OutGames started to practice my sport—swimming—in a 50-meter pool. At home I only have access to 25-yard pools. I found a pool (the DGY-Byen pool) and the swim went well enough, but my thoughts were turned elsewhere by way of serendipity--in the shower. I could not help noticing how uninhibited male Danes are - no wimpy showers stalls or curtains here. Everyone from old to young and in between totally bare-assed in front of one another, unlike the USA, where many guys shower in their swim suits then wrap themselves in towels and wiggle into their underwear under the towel. Stupid, but that's another issue.
But nudity is not the issue of this commentary.
Of more ‘scientific’ note, the Danes are virtually all uncircumcised. This observation comes two days after a New York Times front page article about the 'epidemic' of _circumcision that is reported to be happening in sub-Saharan Africa. Men there are being urged to go to clinics to get clipped since the World Health Organization sponsored and reported a wide-spread study, surely costing millions, that revealed a significantly lower HIV infection rate among circumcised sexually active men (presumed straight).
What's wrong with this picture - with the conclusion African medical and government leaders are jumping to?
The Danish HIV infection rate is minuscule, percentage wise, compared with African infection rates, even though most men in both places are not circumcised. It seems to me the African leaders may well be chasing a red herring and in so doing may be woefully misleading millions of Africans along the way. Given the fragmentary and sporadic health education most African men are offered--or are willing to accept--the great risk is that many of these men will misunderstand circumcision and believe they are thus protected from AIDS.
If these researchers had come to Denmark and checked the local male anatomy and studied the low HIV infection rate here, they might well have concluded HIV infection is NOT in itself correlated with circumcision.
So what is the issue that makes the difference?
A matter of size? A matter of libido? Sexual promiscuity? Social attitudes towards condoms? Why is the Danish HIV infection rate so low and the Africa rate so high yet neither area practices circumcision? I think HIV infection in male Africa has no precise correlation with circumcision. I think it's a matter of hygiene and personal attitude: available cleansing places like bathrooms with running hot and cold water, body scrubs, detergent soaps, health care practices and condoms - as well as health and medical knowledge and care.
To its credit, study does acknowledge the factors of health counseling, use of condoms and reduced sexual partners in reducing infection rates. But of all these factors, circumcision seems the most radical and in the long run least effective. Bring hygiene, running water and a new attitude toward using condoms to Africa, not scalpels. (If a wife asks a husband to use a condom it's as good as accusing him of infidelity, which can result in abuse or abandonment; it's a catch 22 and the woman gets infected.)
The Danes have socialized medicine for everyone and are liberally minded; if there is a sexual problem it gets dealt with. The Africans have few clinics and avoid sexuality talk. I have been to Africa (13 countries) and have seen how many people live, especially in rural villages and towns where few houses have running water and a doctor is likely to be fifty miles away. So, my simple shower room observation is that the rush to circumcision is a misleading gesture that will not, in the long run, save anyone who is sexually active--gay or straight (or bi, as many African men are), but only mislead many into a false sense of security.
In possible fact, the surgery may well have a post-op reverse effect: many men will be eager to try our their new 'freedom' and have sex (condom-less as usual) before the wounds are healed, causing bleeding, and thus exposing them more to HIV than before the knife.
Further, the surveys did not begin to address the issue of MSM - men who have sex with men - of whom there are countless, but are not acknowledged as a risk group. How does circumcision effect this population, which is one of the highest risk groups (along with women)? Circumcision seems a severe, simplified and inadequate response to a complex issue.
For further information on this issue:
USAID
PBS - Newshour
Irin News
August 6, 2009 - The New York Times
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Psychologists Reject Gay ‘Therapy’
by The Associated Press
The American Psychological Association declared Wednesday that mental health professionals should not tell gay clients they can become straight through therapy or other treatments. In a resolution adopted by the association’s governing council, and in an accompanying report, the association issued its most comprehensive repudiation of so-called reparative therapy, a concept espoused by a small but persistent group of therapists, often allied with religious conservatives, who maintain that gay men and lesbians can change.
No solid evidence exists that such change is likely, says the resolution, adopted by a 125-to-4 vote. The association said some research suggested that efforts to produce change could be harmful, inducing depression and suicidal tendencies. Instead of seeking such change, the association urged therapists to consider multiple options, which could include celibacy and switching churches, for helping clients live spiritually rewarding lives in instances where their sexual orientation and religious faith conflict.
The association has criticized reparative therapy in the past, but a six-member panel added weight to that position by examining 83 studies on sexual orientation change conducted since 1960. Its report was endorsed by the association’s governing council in Toronto, where the association’s annual meeting is being held this weekend. The report breaks ground in its detailed and nuanced assessment of how therapists should deal with gay clients struggling to remain loyal to a religious faith that disapproves of homosexuality.
Judith Glassgold, a psychologist in Highland Park, N.J., who led the panel, said she hoped the document could help calm the polarized debate between religious conservatives who believe in the possibility of changing sexual orientation and the many mental health professionals who reject that option.
“Both sides have to educate themselves better," Ms. Glassgold said. “The religious psychotherapists have to open up their eyes to the potential positive aspects of being gay or lesbian. Secular therapists have to recognize that some people will choose their faith over their sexuality.”
One of the largest organizations promoting the possibility of changing sexual orientation is Exodus International, a network of ministries whose core message is “freedom from homosexuality through the power of Jesus Christ.” Its president, Alan Chambers, describes himself as someone who “overcame unwanted same-sex attraction.” Mr. Chambers and other evangelicals met with association representatives after the panel was formed in 2007, and he expressed satisfaction with parts of the report that emerged.
August 2009 - Positive Nation
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Penis size affects attitudes towards condom use
Condoms are one of the best ways to prevent the spread of HIV. However, researchers in the US have found that men with smaller or larger than average penises were more likely to have negative feelings about condoms, which could be linked to these groups having trouble using them.
The study of over 1600 men from across the US, were grouped according to the size of their penis – short, medium and large. For penile length, the ‘shorter’ group had an average erect length of 11cm, ‘medium’ an average erect length of 14cm, and ‘longer’ meant an average erect length of 18cm. They also grouped men according to the thickness of their penis (‘smaller’, average 9cm; ‘medium’, average 13cm; and ‘larger’ average 14cm).
They found that shorter penis length and thickness as well as longer penis length and thickness was associated with negative feelings about condoms. The researchers think that their findings might be useful in initiating discussions between health professionals and men resistant to condom use. There are a number of condom options for men with smaller or larger penises. Condomi, Pasante, Durex, Trojan and Mates all manufacture condoms of various sizes and shapes that can be bought online and in pharmacies in Europe and the United States. Condoms are also available free of charge from many HIV and sexual health clinics.
August 8, 2009 - Paul Causey, Asia Pacific Coalition on Male Sexual Health 200
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Latest data shows HIV infection among MSM in Asia Pacific poses alarming health crisis
Accelerating infection rates can only be reversed by government-led interventions, increased funding, scaled-up coverage and steps to end stigmatisation.
Bali, Indonesia - Soaring HIV infection rates among men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender (TG) communities throughout Asia Pacific pose a looming health crisis that cannot be reversed until governments in the region close ranks and allocate the funding and resources necessary to scale up prevention interventions and end the stigmatization and criminalization of these at-risk target groups.
The latest epidemiological data, released today at a forum held by the Asia Pacific Coalition on Male Sexual Health (APCOM) in Bali, shows that epidemics in the region are accelerating, with estimated HIV prevalence rates in Bangkok above 30 percent, and hovering just below 30 percent in Yangon, Myanmar. One alarming trend is the high rate of infection among the youngest segments of the MSM and TG communities. A newly completed study in Thailand that followed 1,000 HIV-negative MSM for 3 years found that eventually 20 percent became HV infected with HIV. Among those between 18 and 22, the infection rate was a staggering 30 percent.
Frits Van Griensven, Chief, Behavioral Research, US CDC, said, “HIV has established itself in all Southeast Asian cities, with Bangkok and Yangon the most alarming. In Myanmar we are seeing the same pattern as in Bangkok, starting with the very young. New data shows that among the TG community in Jakarta the prevalence rate is 34 percent, which is extremely high – the highest in all of Asia. We have learned that when the prevalence rate is low in the beginning you still have time, but if you don’t have the resources, prevalence will grow and it will be very difficult to bring it down.”
Dr. Swarup Sarkar of the Global Fund said at the conference that despite the statistical evidence, investments in HIV programming for MSM remain dramatically limited.
“Almost everywhere in Asia and the Pacific, the MSM epidemic is going up, even if the overall HIV infection rate in some countries is declining,” Sarkar remarked. “Unless we address it immediately, it will produce a huge number of infections and will require huge amounts of resources. Over the last five years a cumulative $4 billion was spent by countries in the region, but MSM investment is less than $100 million.”
The failure of national governments to allocate resources to their MSM and TG communities constitutes nothing less than “a crime against humanity,” according to APCOM Chairperson Shivananda Khan, OBE. “MSM are beaten, criminalised, harassed, denied services and imprisoned. No wonder HIV is increasing so rapidly. It is not only about condoms. We cannot get medicine. We are not accepted as human beings. It is this discrimination that leads to high rates of HIV. Nearly 200 MSM and TG are infected every day across the Asia Pacific region – this number is shocking and shameful. The only way we can win this battle is if we work together and stand shoulder to shoulder to address the crisis so this genocide stops. We have the technology and the evidence to stop it, and enough is enough. What we are dealing with is a crisis in human lives.”
The all-day forum preceded the 9th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific and offered an interactive platform for exchanging information. APCOM, a regional coalition of community-based organisations that includes the government sector and the United Nations system focusing on HIV and MSM, focused today’s forum squarely on this at-risk target.
Jeff O‘Malley, Global Director, UNDP, HIV/AIDS Group, remarked at the forum, “Diversity gives the community strength. So does adversity – the fights against sodomy laws, against the day-to-day discrimination and invisibility. These causes are important in and of themselves, but just as important, they forge new communities and a new generation of leaders. The development of new partnerships and leaders is essential to reducing the rate of HIV infection and continuing the struggle against HIV.”
Now in its second year, APCOM is a regional coalition of MSM and HIV community-based organizations, the government sector, donors, technical experts and the UN system. Its main purpose is to advocate for political support and increased investment in and coverage of HIV services in Asia Pacific. APCOM promotes principles of good practice and lessons learnt by bringing together representatives from diverse groups in an effort to share experience, knowledge and expertise. Additional information is available here.
August 11, 2009 - From: APCOM "Paul Causey"
21
HIV Among Men Who Have Sex With Men Ignites Volatile Cross-Cultural and Economic Issues
Bali - The risk behaviours among MSM and TG in Asia Pacific combined with the unique social, cultural and economic pressures that influence them create cross-cutting issues that must be taken into account by those seeking to support, educate and advocate for these often neglected communities.
This was the topic of today’s satellite forum held by APCOM as part of the -9th International Congress on AIDS and the Asia Pacific (9 ICAAP). An overflow crowd of more than 200 Congress attendees filled every corer of the room on August 10 to hear experts on specific Asia Pacific geographies discuss the unique challenges they face, and the creative solutions they are applying to reach MSM at risk in cultural environments that make such outreach especially complex.
“The vast majority of MSM is Southeast Asia are married or will be married, whether they want to be or not,” said Shale Ahmed of the Bandhu Social Welfare Society, Dhaka, Bangladesh. “”In China, more than 70 percent of the MSM are in partnership with a woman. Throughout the region, MSM face pressures of fatherhood, lineage, and religion, and many of them unknowingly infect their sex partners in other groups, such as female sex workers and their own wives.”
In addition, a large number of MSM in the region who are sex workers face a double stigma, exacerbated by low access to condoms, drug and alcohol abuse, low levels of education, a high level of mobility and dealing with harassment and violence.
Difficult issues such as these, that demand a high level of cultural wisdom and sensitivity, made the APCOM satellite forum one of the highlights at the opening day of 9 ICAAP. Philippe Girault gave a passionate account of the role drug abuse plays in the lives of the region’s MSM and TG communities and how the use of drugs during sex is rising rapidly in Asia Pacific countries. While ecstasy remains the drug of choice, a wide variety of substances are being abused for a variety of purposes – increased energy and productivity, stress relief, weight loss, self-esteem, prolonged sexual intercourse, etc.
Solutions that are helping curb and contain the crisis, which greatly increases the likelihood of HIV infection, include a “buddy system” at events where MSM and TG are likely to use drugs, making condoms and lubricant more easily available, specialized risk reduction counseling and making creative use of existing networks to help educate those at highest risk and help them understand they are not alone.
Robert Sutherland (ACON, Sydney) explored one of the most difficult of all challenges, reaching young MSM who are HIV-positive and often overwhelmed by the multiple stigmas they face. These individuals can be sexually active for many years, posing a risk of further infection to their sex partners. “These people must be given support,” Sutherland said. “Young MSM must be reached before they become sexually active so they understand the risks involved. They must be given STI information presented in a broad framework that takes into account issues of family, drug use and culture.” An important tool for doing this, he said, was the use of peer-based education – using young MSM to educate others. He also said it was essential to reach young MSM with the tools they use to communicate with one another, especially the Internet.
“Today’s forum on cross-cutting issues was a great example of APCOM living up to its mission to bring together communities across the region to share information and innovative thinking that leads to positive change for Asia Pacific’s MSM and TG communities,” said APCOM Chairperson Shivananda Khan, OBE.
Now in its second year, APCOM is a regional coalition of MSM and HIV community-based organizations, the government sector, donors, technical experts and the UN system. Its main purpose is to advocate for political support and increased investment in and coverage of HIV services in Asia Pacific. APCOM promotes principles of good practice and lessons learnt by bringing together representatives from diverse groups in an effort to share experience, knowledge and expertise. Additional information is available here.
Contacts:
Pul Causey: paulc@msmasia
Shivananda Khan: shiv@nfi.net
August 11, 2009 - Examiner.com
22
Bi Health Summit to explore bisexual concerns in Chicago
by Mike Szymanski - Bisexuality Examiner
The second Bi Health Summit, dealing with health issues specifically for bisexuals, is kicking off Thursday, Aug. 13, and lasting throughout the day Friday, Aug. 14. This is a prelude to the LGBTI (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex) Health Summit happening from Aug. 14 to 18 in Chicago.
The Bi Health Summit “is a grassroots, community-oriented meeting designed for community health workers, activists, and other interested community members ... to share knowledge about health issues affecting bisexuals and men and women who have multi-gendered sexuality, and to build health advocacy skills among bisexual people and [their] allies.”
Luigi Ferrer, a bisexual guy from Florida who was worked on health issues for years and is a bi activist, helped create a report for the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force when he was on the board of BiNet USA. He said educators, health care professionals and others have tried for more than 35 years "to bring about greater visibility, understanding and inclusion of bisexuality. The bisexual perspective is sorely missing from public health discourse."
Ferrer's report proved that bisexuals have largely been ignored and underrepresented in academy and professional literature and had negative experience with doctors, whether it is because they are afraid to come out to them or because they received improper treatment.
Ferrer and a team including Julie Ebin of the Fenway Community Health Program in Boston, Jennifer Bondardi and Stewart Landers, also of Boston, Ed Negron from Chicago and others are putting together the summit and the panel of speakers.
The keynote speaker is Cheryl Dobinson from Toronto, who is involved in research on bisexual mental health issues as well as sexual orientation and health disparaties in Canada. She helped co-author with Dr. Leah Steele the Gay and Lesbian Medical Associations document, "Ten Things Bisexual People Should Discuss with Their Health Care Provider."
Bi activist Amy Andre is a co-author of "Bisexual Health" and a Point Foundation scholar who is giving a seminar on "Bisexual Cultural Competency and Inclusion."
Among the things being discussed at this health panel in particular are:
* Health Disparities Experienced by Bisexuals in Massachusetts
* Bisexuality and Mental Health
* Educating Providers about Bisexuality
* Student Organizations, the Successes and Challenges
* HIV Prevention and Services: Betwixt and Between Bi-Phobic Education, Outreach and Testing Models
* Health Consequences of Stigma and Discrimination among Bisexual Women
* Managing Heterosexism and Biphobia: A Black Bisexual Male Perspective
* The Future of the Bi Health Movement
* Guide to "The B Side": Creating a 10 Week Support Group for Bisexual Clients
* Bi Cultural Competency and Men of Color
* The Bisexual Health Agenda
The sponsors of the summit include the Boston-based Bisexual Resource Center, the American Institute of Bisexuality and Steamworks, the internationally renown bathhouse.
August 2009 - Royal Tropical Institute
23
Challenging the stigma of minority sexual practices
Criminalising minority sexual practices has enormous impact on the victims. Therefore, implementing interventions that prioritise sexual minorities will lead to realising universal access to HIV prevention, care and treatment for all.
Challenging the stigma of minority sexual practices (pdf)
Article category: Overview
HIV and AIDS and homophobia: a lethal combination in Jamaica (pdf)
Article category: Experience
Sexual rituals among ethnic minorities in the Netherlands (pdf)
Article category: Insight
Male sex workers: the forgotten minority in south-east Asia (pdf)
Article category: Informing practice
Compensated sex factor in HIV spread among Peru's young women (pdf)
Article category: Findings
Links and resources (pdf)
Article category: Links and resources
August 11, 2009 - Examiner.com
24
Bisexuality 101: Are there health issues specific to bisexuality?
by Mike Szymanski - Bisexuality Examiner
Do bisexuals have health concerns that are different from everyone else, or ignored by the overall mainstream and gay and lesbian communities? The quick answer is a resounding "yes." And certainly -these issues are not so very obvious to the mainstream health practitioners, or the experts who handle only gay, lesbian and trans issues.
To address some of these issues, there are not only a few organizations that deal specifically with bisexual health issues, but there's a whole conference coming up this weekend to talk about the issues. The second Bi Health Summit is kicking off Thursday, Aug. 13, and lasting throughout the day Friday, Aug. 14. This is a prelude to the LGBTI Health Summit happening from Aug. 14 to 18 in Chicago. There are 10 major health concerns that are particular to bisexuals, as detailed in a National Gay & Lesbian Task Force Report.
What are some of the health concerns?
* Some stats show that bisexual youth particularly have more attempts at suicide and feel more alienated than even their gay and lesbian counterparts who have a growing social and support network around them. A suicide prevention study in Australia found that bi women and bi men were the highest percentages of suicide attempts (35 and 29 percents). Bi youth between 14 and 21, in a University of Minnesota study, were more likely to be suicidal than any other group.
* Bisexuals, because they are often self-identified, are not counted in studies or identified easily for targeted educational purposes. What people do and what they say they do are often very different things.
* Bisexual women have higher rates of breast cancer, and bi women have the highest rate of never having a PAP test to screen for cervical cancer.
* Bisexual men who are in partnerships with women may tend to avoid the "bisexual" label and be more in the closet, which could subject them to more unsafe sexual practices, dangerous situations and mental stresses that their heterosexual counterparts would not have.
* Bisexual women in clinical and community samplings, have received lower standards of mental and health care.
* Bisexuals of any gender skew high on some studies for drug use, tobacco use, alcohol abuse and illegal drug activity. Bisexual women report the highest use of alcohol compared to hetero or lesbian women. Bi women also are shown to smoke cigarettes more as well.
* Questionable conversion or reparative therapies that supposedly convert people from same-sex attraction to opposite sex attractions often ignore the possibility of bisexuality.
* Bisexual women are known to have a higher rate of eating disorders, showing that more of them are overweight, and underweight than their hetero and lesbian counterparts.
* Bisexuals are generally an invisible group, either forgotten, ignored or deliberately left out of studies or polls or medical questionnaires because it is more complicated or muddies the studies.
* Bisexual women have a higher tendency of heart disease and risk factors for heart ailments.
* Closeted bisexual men could be more susceptible to Hepatitis, crystal meth use, HIV infection, sexually transmitted diseases and other concerns. A University of California, San Francisco study found that bi men are five times more likely to have used crystal meth than the general population.
* Bisexual women choosing to get pregnant, or seeking a doctor after they are pregnant, have faced discrimination and outright rejection from the medical establishment.
* Bisexual men and women have higher levels of depression and anxiety than heterosexuals, and in some levels similar to lesbians and gay men.
The good news is that there is help. There are the organizations.
August 12th, 2009 - EmaxHealth
25
Encouraging Safer Sex Among Men At HIV/AIDS Risk
by Ruzik_tuzik
A single-session, online, multimedia intervention effectively reduced risky sexual behaviors among young men who have sex with men, a group at high risk for HIV/AIDS and other -sexually transmitted infections.(http://www.emaxhealth.com/55) Such low-cost programs may help reverse the steady rise in HIV diagnoses among this population. The study was published online ahead of print in the journal, AIDS and Behavior.
Background
Based on the Information-Motivational-Behavioral Skills (IMB) model for reducing HIV risk, Kelly M. Carpenter, Ph.D., of Talaria, Inc., and colleagues developed a multimedia, online intervention that aimed to:
* Increase knowledge of risk factors
* Provide skills training for safer sex behaviors
* Increase motivation for behavior change.
The researchers recruited 112 men who have sex with men, ages 18–39. Participants were HIV negative or did not know their status and had engaged in unprotected sex within the preceding three months. All participants completed a 25-minute baseline assessment and then were randomly assigned to the experimental intervention or a control group program. Both the intervention and control program required 1.5–2 hours to complete, though participants had up to a week to finish. Participants were asked to return to the study Web site three months later to complete a 20-minute follow-up questionnaire.
The intervention presented a variety of interactive exercises, multimedia clips, quizzes, and other materials that provided information about safer sex practices and tested participants’ knowledge of HIV risk factors. Those in the control group completed an online stress reduction program that described the effects of stress on the body and health reasons for reducing stress, in addition to leading participants in relaxation exercises, such as deep breathing and guided imagery. The control program did not include any sexual risk reduction information.
Results of the Study
Participants in both groups reported fewer risky behaviors compared with their baseline assessments. Those who received the intervention reported fewer instances of unprotected sex with partners who were HIV+ or of unknown status. However, the researchers noted that few minorities participated in the study, a group that may be at highest risk for HIV infection and most in need of preventive interventions. Also, since the entire study was conducted online, the effects of only partially completing the intervention or completing only the baseline assessment are unknown.
Significance
The findings show that Internet-based interventions can affect HIV risk behavior. According to the researchers, delivering such programs online may eventually make it possible to provide effective interventions to underserved populations, such as rural or minority communities, at a lower cost than in-person interventions. Internet-based delivery also allows high-risk individuals to access the intervention privately, at their convenience, and possibly at important “teaching opportunities,” such as when they are actively seeking new partners online. Another possible advantage over face-to-face intervention programs is the individual’s ability to leave an online intervention and return when he feels more motivated, suggested the researchers. Regarding the sexual risk reduction seen in the control group, the researchers suggested that just completing the baseline assessment may have drawn participants’ attention to their own unsafe behaviors and provided enough motivation for them to change.
What’s Next
More research is needed to determine the best length for online interventions. Longer, more detailed interventions may have greater effects on behavior, but more people may are likely to start and finish shorter ones. Future studies should also focus on enrolling more minority participants, include measures of safer sex skills other than condom use, (for example, talking to one’s partner(s) about HIV status), and gather more information on the effectiveness of individual intervention components.
Source: National Institute Of Mental Health
15 August 2009 - Medical News Today
26
It's Not Easy Being Gay (Mental Health)
Members of 'sexual minorities' are around twice as likely as heterosexuals to seek help for mental health issues or substance abuse treatment. A model of treatment-seeking behavior, described in the open access journal BMC Psychiatry supports the idea that lesbian, gay and bisexual people may have specific treatment needs.
Susan Cochran worked with a team of researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles using data they collected from 2074 people first interviewed in the California Health Interview Survey. They found that 48.5% of lesbian/gay/bisexual individuals reported receiving treatment in the past year as compared to 22.5% of heterosexuals. In addition, gender was shown to play a large role; lesbians and bisexual women were most likely to receive treatment and heterosexual men were the least likely.
According to Cochran, "It is well known that health services utilization is greater among women generally. Here we have shown that minority sexual orientation is also an important consideration. Lesbians and bisexual women appear to be approximately twice as likely as heterosexual women to report having received recent treatment for mental health or substance use disorders."
The researchers speculate that the causes driving this increased use of healthcare may include higher exposure to discrimination, violence, and other stressful life events. Cochran adds, "The pervasive and historically rooted societal pathologizing of homosexuality may contribute to this propensity for treatment by construing homosexuality and issues associated with it as mental health problems".
Notes:
Influence of gender, sexual orientation, and need on treatment utilization for substance use and mental disorders: findings from the California Quality of Life Survey
Christine E. Grella, Lisa Greenwell, Vickie M. Mays and Susan D. Cochran
BMC Psychiatry (in press)
Source:
Graeme Baldwin
BioMed Central
9 August 2009 - The Bangkok Post
27
Encouraging signs on HIV
by Achara Ashayagachat
Bali - HIV rates among men having sex with men (MSM) in Thailand have declined this year, experts told an Aids congress in Bali, Indonesia. However, while the rate may be falling in Thailand it is rising in the Asia-Pacific region as a whole, experts told the International Congress on Aids in Asia and the Pacific forum yesterday.
Frits van Griensven from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the HIV infection rate last year reached a high of 30% among MSM in Thailand and Burma, but so far this year Thailand had reported a decline, either because victims had died or preventive measures taken in recent years were having some effect. In 2003, the HIV rate among Thai MSM was 17.3%. In 2005 it was 28.3%, and last year 30.3%. Most Asia-Pacific countries with moderate HIV prevalence still have time to act, he said.
Swarup Sarkar, director of the Global Fund-Asia Unit, said regional governments should focus on Aids education and HIV prevention among MSM and drug users. Governments, however, tended to put most effort into sex workers. The Committee on Aids in Asia had reported that only $1 billion was raised from international donors out of a required budget of $3 billion to address the spread of HIV. For the MSM group, only $20m-40m was raised for a required budget of $300 million, he said.
Jeffrey O'Malley, director of the United Nations Development Programme Bureau for Development Policy (HIV/Aids group), said if the spread of HIV among the MSM group was not addressed, the group would account for 40% of overall HIV cases by the year 2020.
August 25, 2009 - Centers for Disease Control
28
Lack of circumcision was not associated with HIV infection in MSM practicing insertive anal sex with HIV infected men
by Ryan Wiegand; Katrina Kretsinger; Stephanie Sansom; Brad Bartholow; Robert Chen
Background
Randomized controlled trials show male circumcision reduces the risk of HIV infection in heterosexual men. Whether this intervention would be effective in reducing transmission among men who have sex with men (MSM) is unclear. Method: To assess if circumcision status was associated with HIV infection among MSM, we re-analyzed data from both arms of VAX004, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, prospective trial of a VaxGen rgp 120 HIV vaccine, conducted 1998-2002. Interviews occurred at baseline and every 6 months throughout the 36-month trial, addressing demographic characteristics, circumcision status, and risk behaviors. HIV counseling and testing were provided at all visits. A counting process method was used to associate time to HIV infection with multiple predictors; baseline data were excluded. Factor analysis found unprotected insertive and receptive anal sex predictors were highly correlated. For this reason, the models were run separately, first with insertive, then with receptive anal sex.
Results
A total of 4889 participants were included in this reanalysis; 86.1% were circumcised. There were 342 (7.0%) men who became infected during the study; 87.4% were circumcised. Controlling for demographic characteristics and risk behaviors, in the model that included unprotected insertive anal sex, being uncircumcised was not associated with incident HIV infection [adjusted hazards ratio (AHR)=0.97, CI=0.56-1.68]. Furthermore, while having unprotected insertive (AHR=2.25, CI=1.72-2.93) or receptive anal sex with an HIV (+) partner (AHR=3.45, CI=2.58-4.61) were associated with HIV infection, the association between HIV incidence and the interaction of being uncircumcised and reporting unprotected insertive (AHR=1.78, CI=0.90-3.53) or receptive (AHR=1.26, CI=0.62-2.57) anal sex with an HIV (+) partner was not statistically significant.
Conclusion
In this reanalysis of prospective clinical trial data, being uncircumcised did not confer statistically significant (p=0.09) additional risk for HIV infection among men who reported unprotected insertive anal sex with HIV+ partners. Additional studies with more incident HIV infections or that include a larger proportion of uncircumcised men may provide a clearer answer as to whether circumcision is associated with lower rates of HIV infection among MSM who engage in insertive anal sex with HIV-infected partners.
August 26, 2009 - SFGate.com
29
Circumcision not as beneficial for gay men
Associated Press - Circumcision, which has helped prevent AIDS among heterosexual men in Africa, doesn't help protect gay men from the virus, according to the largest U.S. study to look at the question. The research, presented at a conference Tuesday, is expected to influence the government's first guidance on circumcision. Circumcision "is not considered beneficial" in stopping the spread of HIV through anal sex, said Dr. Peter Kilmarx of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
However, the CDC is still considering recommending it for other groups, including baby boys and high-risk heterosexual men. UNAIDS and other international health organizations promote circumcision, the cutting away of the foreskin, as an important strategy for reducing the spread of the AIDS virus.
Previous research has suggested circumcision doesn't make a difference when anal sex is involved. The latest study, by CDC researchers, looked at nearly 4,900 men who had anal sex with an HIV-infected partner and found the infection rate, about 3.5 percent, was approximately the same whether the men were circumcised or not.
August 25, 2009 - RH Reality Check
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AIDS 50 Times Higher In Gay/Bi-Men Than Other Groups
By Walt Senterfitt, CHAMP
- This article is part of a special series this week focusing on HIV and AIDS in the United States. RH Reality Check is partnering with CHAMP, the AIDS Foundation of Chicago, the HIV Prevention Justice Alliance, and other organizations to highlight issues on domestic HIV and AIDS policy while several thousand people attend the National HIV Prevention Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. See the first piece in this series by Julie Davids and David Munar, The AIDS Crisis in the United States: Wlll the Obama Administration Meet the Challenge?-
CDC official Dr. Amy Lansky announced today at a plenary session of the National HIV Prevention Conference the CDC's finding that, in the United States, gay men and other men who have sex with men (MSM) have AIDS at a rate more than 50 times (that's right, FIFTY TIMES) greater than women and non-gay/bi men. This confirms in emphatic terms that of all the disparities and disproportionate impacts in the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the United States, the greatest one is the extraordinarily disproportionate impact on gay and bisexual men -- of all races and ethnicities-- though the most disproportionate impact is on African American gay, bi and other MSM.
As incidence estimates released by CDC last year revealed, MSM constitute more than half of all new cases of HIV and are the group in which the number of new cases each continues to slowly increase. What's new today is that the CDC has calculated *rates* of HIV/AIDS prevalence among MSM, not just raw numbers. Lansky says the CDC estimates that there were 692.2 new HIV cases in 2007 per 100,000 MSM. Having a rate as well as the raw numbers allows comparisons for the first time to other population groups at risk, such as women and heterosexual men.
In turn, to calculate a rate, one must be able to know or estimate the size of the underlying population. It's fairly easy to know how many women or African Americans or Latinas/os there are in the country or a state or a community. It's not so easy to know how many gay men there are, especially since many gay and bi men have reasons not to disclose their sexual orientation and since the government has not been especially interested in accurately counting us. The CDC took a range of estimates from several nationally representative surveys and studies and decided to use the figure of 4.0%, representing the median estimate of the proportion of adolescent and adult men who acknowledge having had sex with another man in the past five years.
Why has it taken so long to make this estimate, which in turn allows population comparisons and impact assessments? Maybe part of it is due to natural scientific reluctance to make guesses about things that cannot be accurately measured. But that doesn't really make sense, because policymakers push scientists all the time to make estimates about hard-to-measure phenomena affecting public policy. Seems clear to me that this was at least an indirect effect of the pervasive homophobia still affecting much of government, public policy, media and societal norms in this country.
At the same time we applaud this newly honest statement and comparison, and what it means about the continuing devastating impact on MSM communities and populations, most especially on MSM of color, it is equally important to reaffirm the devastating and disproportionate impact that HIV has as well on other populations and communities, particularly women of color in the South and elsewhere and on transgender women in urban areas throughout the country.
We must fight for funding and adequate social investment to end HIV/AIDS wherever it continues to persist and thrive, which is almost always where concentrated social injustice also thrives. We will not decisively end AIDS anywhere unless we end it everywhere.
September 2009 - Equal Partners
31
Health and Human Rights...A Resource Guide
The field of health and human rights brings together two important movements. For public health advocates, human rights provide an essential tool for promoting accountability and addressing the non-medical roots of poor health. For human rights advocates, the protection of public health is a mark of democracy, good governance, and open society.
This equal partnership is more important than ever to prevent abuses in health care and generate pragmatic, rights-based solutions to urgent health threats.
Prepared by the Open Society Institute and Equitas, this resource guide is designed to support health and human rights advocacy, training, education, programming, and grantmaking worldwide.
18 September 2009 - Fridae
32
Counterfeit sex drugs: 11 deaths and 24 coma cases
by Sylvia Tan
Singapore’s Health Sciences Authority recorded a total of 302 adverse reaction reports including 11 deaths and 24 coma cases associated with the use of counterfeit erectile dysfunction drugs and other illegal aphrodisiac products in the country in 2008 and 2009.
Ray (not his real name) was until recently an engineer working in Singapore. He had lost his job not because he had fallen victim to the economic crisis but because he was no longer able to perform his job after the brain damage he had suffered after consuming counterfeit Cialis. Like Viagra (sildenafil) and Levitra (vardenafil), Cialis (tadalafil) is a prescription drug used to treat genuine erectile dysfunction. Studies have found that such drugs are being increasingly being used by gay men who do not have erectile dysfunction, and often with recreational party drugs. The 30-year-old gay man slipped into a coma and was hospitalised in a high dependency unit for almost a month due to complications he had suffered due to a severe drop in blood sugar levels. The counterfeit drug was found to contain dangerous levels of glibenclamide, a powerful prescription drug used to treat diabetes.
In a separate case, 26-year-old Brandon Boh and his German partner Rene Daniels, 45, were both found unconscious and foaming at the mouth by a friend in separate rooms in the latter’s flat in Singapore. The older man survived but Boh died - 16 days later after he was found - of pneumonia and swelling in the brain. According to the Singapore Straits Times, a coroner's court in July heard that the pair is believed to have taken counterfeit erectile dysfunction drugs. Glibenclamide, which is also known as glyburide, was found in Boh’s body.
The two are not isolated cases. A well-connected Singaporean gay man Fridae spoke to says he knows of six gay men being adversely affected by such drugs in 2009 alone although he declined to reveal personal details about the individuals.
Click here to read the entire article
September 24, 2009 - On Top Magazine
33
A world first: AIDS vaccine cuts the risk of HIV infection by 31 percent in big Thai study
by Marilynn Marchione and Michael Casey - AP News
For the first time, an experimental vaccine has prevented infection with the AIDS virus, a watershed event in the deadly epidemic and a surprising result. Recent failures led many scientists to think such a vaccine might never be possible. The vaccine cut the risk of becoming infected with HIV by more than 31 percent in the world's largest AIDS vaccine trial of more than 16,000 volunteers in Thailand, researchers announced Thursday in Bangkok.
Even though the benefit is modest, "it's the first evidence that we could have a safe and effective preventive vaccine," Col. Jerome Kim said in a telephone interview. He helped lead the study for the U.S. Army, which sponsored it with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
Read the entire article here
September 28, 2009 - PinkNews
34
Terrence Higgins Trust offers HIV detection test four weeks after exposure
by Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk
Sexual health charity Terrence Higgins Trust (THT) is now offering an HIV test which can be used four weeks after infection. Usually, tests can only be carried out three months after the date of suspected transmission. Those at highest risk of HIV infection are gay men and Africans. The blood test, which involve a finger prick, will be used at THT’s Fastest clinics and results are normally available in approximately 20 minutes. If the test result is positive, staff will advise another test is taken to confirm the diagnosis.
Dr Michael Brady, medical director at THT, said “If you’re worried you’ve been exposed to HIV waiting three months for an accurate test result can be agonising. Technology has now moved on, so we’re able to offer reliable tests earlier. If you think you’ve been at risk or you’re in a high risk group you should consider getting a test. It’s quick, confidential and could put your mind at rest.”
To find out if there is a Fastest clinic near you visit or call THT Direct on 0845 12 21 200
September 30, 2009 - 365Gay.com
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UN: 4 million on AIDS drugs, others still in need
by The Associated Press
(London) About 4 million people are now getting AIDS drugs worldwide – a 10-fold jump in five years – but 5 million others are still in dire need of the medicine, U.N. health officials estimated in a report issued Wednesday. The figures represented a major increase in rolling out drugs to patients across Africa, where the AIDS epidemic is focused, even though they were based on incomplete data and modeling.
They were released in an annual AIDS report jointly published by the World Health Organization, UNICEF and the U.N. AIDS program. “Even though some of the data are not fully clear and there are some unanswered questions, this is a dramatic improvement,” said Daniel Halperin, an AIDS expert at Harvard University. “It shows that all this money that has gone to treatment has made some difference.”
In 2008, officials estimated more than 4 million people were on AIDS drugs in low- and middle-income countries. The biggest increase was in sub-Saharan Africa, where nearly 3 million people are now on the drugs. Overall, about 44 percent of people with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa who need AIDS drugs are now taking them. In the U.S., about 71 percent of patients in need got AIDS drugs, according to 2003 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Read More Here
October 5, 2009 - Edge Los Angeles
35
New trial of HIV vaccine in gay men begins
by Matthew S. Bajko,Bay Area Reporter
AIDS researchers have begun recruiting gay men in various American cities for a new HIV vaccine trial they are hopeful will be more successful than a previous vaccine trial that was abruptly aborted in 2007 for fear it was increasing some participants’ risk of contracting the virus.
The new study, known as the HVTN 505 Study, will examine if the new vaccine can decrease the viral load of those people who become infected with HIV. While it may also help prevent HIV infections, researchers will be closely monitoring participants to see if they do become HIV-positive what impact the vaccine may have on the onset of their illness.
"It is designed to find cells already infected and to reduce the amount of virus in people if they do get infected. If we get clues that we can accomplish that, it will be a huge next step in developing a safe and effective vaccine," said Jonathan Fuchs, director of vaccine studies at the San Francisco Department of Public Health. "It may not prevent infection but we hope this vaccine will work and it will reduce the burden of infection."
AIDS researchers received a boost last week when it was disclosed that a vaccine trial of more than 16,000 volunteers in Thailand showed that it did prevent new HIV infections in trial participants. The vaccine in that trial, which combined two previously unsuccessful vaccines, was reported to have cut the risk of becoming HIV-positive by more than 31 percent.
A promising vaccine
It was the first time since the start of the AIDS epidemic nearly 30 years ago that a vaccine had shown signs of promise. But the Thailand trial was focused on heterosexual transmission, noted the HIV Vaccine Trials Network’s Steven Wakefield, so it remains to be seen if that vaccine would work in gay and bisexual men.
Read Entire Article Here
October 2009 - Consultancy Africa Intelligence
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Men who have sex with men: A neglected HIV risk population in Africa
by Marinda Kotzé
Although men who have sex with men (MSM) are generally not considered to be a high HIV infection risk group in Africa, recent studies have shown that this may not be the case. Recent research has revealed alarmingly high HIV prevalence rates amongst MSM in Africa. These findings bring into question the decision made by many HIV & AIDS organisations and African Governments to focus primarily on heterosexual individuals in their HIV & AIDS campaigns, often completely excluding MSM from these initiatives. This CAI brief takes a closer look at the reasons behind the neglect of MSM in HIV & AIDS campaigns in Africa, their vulnerability to HIV infection as well as what can be done to reach this often ignored high risk group.
The neglect of MSM by HIV & AIDS campaigns in Africa
In many Western nations, homosexual men were identified as one of the key risk-groups very early on in the HIV epidemic. Consequently, research and HIV prevention efforts in these countries focussed more specifically on MSM in order to curb the spread of HIV. In Africa, however, HIV amongst the MSM population has gone largely unnoticed due to several factors. Early research on the primary modes of HIV transmission in Africa suggested that men and women were equally vulnerable to HIV infection, and that the virus was mainly transmitted through heterosexual intercourse. As a result, heterosexual couples, sero-discordant couples, people in multiple concurrent sexual partnerships and female commercial sex workers were considered most at risk for contracting HIV. These groups subsequently received more attention from HIV & AIDS research and intervention campaigns (2). Early research studies were unable to find any conclusive evidence to link MSM to the growing HIV infection rate in Africa. It is suspected, however, that this could be due to the fact that homosexuality is largely condemned by most African cultures and religious groups, and even punishable by law in certain African countries, such as Nigeria. Homosexuality is therefore a taboo subject amongst many Africans, which makes it very difficult to make contact with MSM, elicit public debate about the issue and conduct thorough research on MSM in Africa (3).
These attitudes towards homosexuality have caused many MSM to become victims of stigmatisation and discrimination. Fear of possible victimisation has also led to many MSM concealing their sexual orientation. In particular, members of the police service and health care personnel have been guilty of discriminating against and victimising MSM in many parts of Africa, leading to MSM living a secluded lifestyle and even avoiding health care services (4). As a result, many MSM have been unable to access quality health care services such as voluntary HIV counselling and testing (VCT) and treatment for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV & AIDS (5). This has not only made MSM more vulnerable to HIV infection but also made it more difficult for researchers to gain access to them and investigate their HIV risk behaviour and prevalence rates. Consequently, due to lack of data, MSM is still not considered to be a priority target group by many HIV & AIDS programme planners and health care officials around the continent.
The HIV epidemic amongst MSM in Africa
Over the past few years, research focusing on MSM and specifically their sexual risk behaviours and HIV prevalence rate has increased remarkably. The knowledge gained from these studies has been very helpful in providing greater insight into the factors that may put MSM at risk for HIV infection and what can be done to address the issue.
Read the entire article here
October 2009 - NFI
37
APCOM’s engagement at the 9th ICAAP
The Asia Pacific Coalition on Male Sexual Health, with which NFI plays a key role, was strongly engaged at the 9th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific, held in Bali, Indonesia between the 9th - 13th August, 2009.
Background
Highly concentrated and severe HIV epidemics among men who have sex with men (MSM) in urban areas across the Asia Pacifi c region are already well documented. Yet investments in HIV programming for MSM and transgender remain limited, representing less that 4% of the total spending for HIV programming in countries in the region.
Not only are there totally inadequate responses to HIV among MSM and transgenders and gross under-investments of resources, but prevention and care programme service coverage is also extremely poor. It has been estimated that targeted prevention programmes are reaching less that 8% of MSM, far short of the 80% coverage that epidemiological models indicate is needed to turn the HIV epidemic around in that population.
Read the article here
2009 October 15 - PubMed.Gov
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Correlates of Forced Sex Among Populations of Men Who Have Sex with Men in Thailand
by Guadamuz TE, Wimonsate W, Varangrat A, Phanuphak P, Jommaroeng R, Mock PA, Tappero JW, van Griensven F.
Thailand Ministry of Public Health-U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Collaboration, DDC7 Building, Nonthaburi, 11000, Thailand.
Although forced sex is a correlate of HIV infection, its prevalence and associated risks are not well described among men who have sex with men (MSM) in developing-country settings. Between March and October 2005, we assessed the prevalence of forced sex and correlates among populations of MSM (this includes general MSM, male sex workers, and male-to-female transgender persons) in Thailand using a community-based sample. Participants were enrolled from venues around Bangkok, Chiangmai, and Phuket using venue day-time sampling. Handheld computer-assisted self-interviewing was used to collect demographic and behavioral data and logistic regression evaluated factors associated with forced sex, defined as ever being forced to have sexual intercourse against one's will. Of the 2,049 participants (M age, 24.8 years), a history of forced sex was reported by 376 (18.4%) men and, of these, most were forced by someone they knew (83.8%), forced more than once (67.3%), and had first occurrence during adolescence (55.1%).
In multivariate analysis, having a history of forced sex was significantly associated with being recruited in Phuket, classification as general MSM or transgender (versus classification as male sex worker), drug use, increased number of male sexual partners, and buying sex. The findings in our assessment were consistent with assessments from Western countries. Longitudinal studies are needed to understand the mechanisms of the relationships between forced sex correlates found in our assessment and HIV acquisition and transmission risks.
October 20, 2009 - Harvard University
39
Death by denial: Symposium explores HIV denial, conspiracy theories
by Alvin Powell, Harvard Staff Writer
Among the panelists were Seth Kalichman, professor of psychology at the University of Connecticut; Nicoli Nattrass, director of the AIDS and Society Research Unit and economics professor at the University of Cape Town in South Africa; and Pride Chigwedere, a global health consultant and former Oak Foundation Research Fellow at Harvard AIDS Initiative.
People who deny that the HIV virus causes AIDS continue to persist in their beliefs despite overwhelming scientific evidence to the contrary, nurtured by the broad reach of the Internet and cherry-picked scientific claims, AIDS authorities said Monday (Oct. 19).
Researchers from Harvard, elsewhere in the United States, and South Africa convened at the Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts to decry HIV “denialism,” saying that the continued questioning of HIV’s role in AIDS harms those infected with the virus by discouraging both testing and treatment.
According to the speakers, denialism takes two major forms. Some skeptics deny that HIV plays a role in AIDS, or that it even exists, while others believe in AIDS conspiracies, acknowledging that HIV causes AIDS but questioning HIV’s origins, saying it results from a government conspiracy, is intended as a genocide campaign against blacks, that it was created in CIA labs, or is of other sinister origin or purpose.
The event, sponsored by the Harvard University Center for AIDS Research, was presented in conjunction with the Carpenter Center’s exhibit “ACT UP New York: Activism, Art, and the AIDS Crisis, 1987-1993.” The exhibit contains posters, T-shirts, fliers, and pamphlets from ACT UP’s AIDS activism campaigns which, through sometimes graphic and jarring messages, pushed government action against AIDS. The campaign argued that the government dragged its feet because of homophobia and racism aimed at two groups prone to the ailment: gay men and intravenous drug users, who are often minorities.
Laura Bogart, associate professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and Children’s Hospital Boston, introduced the event, saying that denialism also includes odd beliefs, such as that drugs for HIV treatment actually cause AIDS. Denialism, she said, is gaining momentum because of the reach that its proponents have on the Internet, and it may have greater traction in communities that already mistrust the government because of past discrimination, revelations of secret medical experiments, and the like.
The symposium examined how denialism affects prevention and treatment, public policy, and human rights.
“Bad ideas have bad consequences,” Bogart said.
Seth Kalichman, professor of psychology at the University of Connecticut, said denialist beliefs are surprisingly widespread. He said most people’s attitude when hearing of HIV denial is, “Oh, those people are still around?” In the uncertain early years of the AIDS epidemic, Kalichman said, denialists were dissidents from the prevailing but still uncertain scientific views. As the body of evidence about the nature of HIV and AIDS grew, dissent turned into denial, wrapped in conspiracy theories. Now, Kalichman lumps HIV denialists with those who deny the Holocaust and global warming, and who believe 9/11 conspiracy theories. All use similar strategies, he said, including false experts, bad science, and selective use of valid scientific results.
Kalichman cited a 2007 report on 696 gay men in five U.S. cities that showed a surprisingly high acceptance of denialist beliefs. Forty-five percent, he said, agreed with the statement “HIV does not cause AIDS,” and 51 percent agreed with the statement “HIV drugs can harm you more than help you,” remarking that it would be troubling if even half those numbers believed such statements. Kalichman said research shows that the Internet is a critical source of denialist information, and that people who hold denialist beliefs are more likely to have symptoms, less likely to adhere to drug regimens, and less likely to take treatment medication in the first place.
Denialism may have done its most damage in South Africa during the tenure of President Thabo Mbeki. Mbeki, who endorsed denialist beliefs, delayed the beginning of large-scale AIDS drug treatment, which allowed the pandemic to grow unchecked.
Nicoli Nattrass, director of the AIDS and Society Research Unit and economics professor at the University of Cape Town in South Africa, presented preliminary results from a large-scale study of teenagers and young adults there. The results, which are still being analyzed, show that denialist beliefs are held disproportionately by black African men and are far more likely to be held by those supportive of Mbeki’s health minister, who has been replaced by the current administration.
Recent research showed how damaging denialist beliefs can be, concluding that Mbeki’s failure to roll out HIV drugs between 2000 and 2005 resulted in 330,000 unnecessary deaths and the infection of 3,500 infants with HIV.
28 October 2009 - Fridae
40
The testing imperative: How increased HIV testing can help slow down HIV transmission
by Jan Wijngaarden
In a city where 1 in 20 (Singapore, Beijing, Ho Chi Minh), 1 in 12 (Hanoi), 1 in 10 (Phnom Penh), 1 in 5 (Chiang Mai) or 1 in 3 (Yangon, Bangkok) gay men are infected with HIV, it is important to stop ignoring HIV as 'a problem affecting others.’
A lot of gay guys make quick (and often irrational and incorrect) assumptions about their partner's HIV sero-status in the heat of the moment. "Oh, look, he lets me fuck him, he does not say anything about condoms, he is probably positive, just like me", thinks the horny top. The horny bottom thinks: "Oh, look, he does not grab condoms or lube, he is probably negative, like me, otherwise he would not be this irresponsible."
A few minutes later, in a dark corner of the sauna, the Human Immunodeficiency Virus has found new lebensraum. Bingo! In a city where 1 in 20 (Singapore, Beijing, Ho Chi Minh), 1 in 12 (Hanoi), 1 in 10 (Phnom Penh), 1 in 5 (Chiang Mai) or 1 in 3 (Yangon, Bangkok) gay men are infected with HIV, it is important to ditch such assumptions. It is important to stop ignoring HIV as 'a problem affecting others'.
Everybody who has ever had anal sex without a condom, or has had any form of condom slippage or breakage 'accident' with somebody else of whom we don't know his HIV status has, in principle, a chance to be infected. Yes, that means YOU. Yes, it means ME. It means all of us.
One of my friends, who is a sauna and sex-party-enthusiast, sometimes gets so drunk and high on drugs that he does not really remember what happened exactly during his long passionate nights of action. When I ask him whether he has considered getting tested for HIV, he replied: "Why should I get tested? What is the point? If I am infected, I am probably infected already anyway. I will find out sooner rather than later. I prefer later, so that I can lead a normal life up until then."
Hmmm. A normal life... Meaning, in his case, that he does not need to feel guilty about having sex without condoms, as he "officially" is not aware that he might be infecting others. He reasons that if you know your status and you are HIV positive - well - it becomes much harder to justify ditching condoms, as he would feel guilty about infecting others. Another friend of mine who found out he was positive at the age of 19 refused to have any sex for nearly a year, for fear of infecting his lovers. He was depressed and could not sleep for months; any little itch or tiny cough triggered panic and alarm. Meanwhile, he kept his infection a secret from his family and most friends, leading a double life.
So why should you get tested for HIV? Why would you want to know you have a deadly disease and destroy your love life? Why face possible discrimination and stigma from friends, family and at work? Why not rather just 'let it be'? In fact, there are several good reasons to get tested. I list a few of them below.
The first reason is perhaps partly a philosophical reason. I believe it is our duty, as the only animals on the planet who have brains that are able to reason, to get to know ourselves. Knowing ourselves and developing our personalities, talents and skills, and plan our lives based on what we learn is part of what makes life worth living. Taking stock of our lives, and taking RESPONSIBILITY for what we have done, is part of our value as human beings. Ignoring the possibility we might have HIV, which can, if untreated, be an important threat to our personal existence is, well, for lack of a more diplomatic term, rather stupid. It is also selfish versus others whom we may unwittingly infect.
The second reason is biological / medical. If we are infected with HIV, our immune system is gradually destroyed. This takes, depending on each individual, between one and 20 years; fifty percent dies within 10 years. Unless we start treatment with antiretroviral medicines. These used to be terribly expensive and full of side effects, but are now quite affordable and less toxic. One used to take 6-8 pills a day in the past, but now many have been combined in convenient once- or twice-a-day doses. These pills used to have nasty side-effects, but these have decreased too, for most people at least.
Studies have shown that the earlier we find out that we have HIV and the timelier we start treatment of HIV with antiretroviral medicines, the more likely it is that our immune system will recover and the less likely it is that we will experience some of the nastier manifestations of AIDS later in life - in short, the sooner you find out, the more likely it is that you can start treatment at the right moment and live a long and healthy life.
November 24, 2009 - Box Turtle Bulliten
41a
National Geographic discusses possible bases for orientation
by Timothy Kincaid
Sexual orientation is genetic… but not fully genetic.
Each person has about a 4-6% chance of being same-sex attracted. If, however, one has a twin brother that’s gay, the odds increase to about 12%. Make it an identical twin and you have a 50/50 chance that you too will be gay.
Anti-gay activists irrationally declare that this proves that “there is no gay gene.” In a sense they are correct, if orientation were entirely determined by purely genetic composition, then identical twins (who have the same genes) would always have the same orientation.
But the increase in odd with the increase in genetic similarity does show that genes play a part, and a big part. Which leaves the question, how does one twin end up gay and the other straight? The answer may be in how epigenetics triggers genes and can cause identical genes to respond differently.
November 26, 2009 - PinkNews
42
Advertiser promotion: New sperm and egg donor website launches
by PinkNews.co.uk Staff Writer
A brand new worldwide donor connection website has launched. Pride Angel is the first website of its kind to aim towards the gay and lesbian community and was founded by a lesbian couple who have first-hand experience of known donor conception. The creators of this social networking connection site, forum and blog are also professional scientists who are committed to giving their users all the necessary health screening advice and legal contacts needed.
"Many women wish to meet the sperm donor to find out a little more about their personality and characteristics. Some women are also looking for donors who would like to have occasional contact with the child like an 'uncle figure' in their lives, without the parental or financial responsibility. Gay and lesbian couples are also increasingly considering shared co-parenting arrangements. 'We believe that whatever the level of contact, it is beneficial to the child to know of the donor's identity, this openness from the beginning often leads to more contented and well balanced children and eventually adults," said Erika Tranfield, the founder of Pride Angel.
The Pride Angel connection website is a professional user-friendly site with many unique features. It allows members to add their own personal profile as a sperm donor, egg donor, co-parent or recipient, and complete an optional on-line health questionnaire. Members communicate safely through an internal messaging system by means of message credits. Users can search the site by a quick or advanced search facility enabling users to narrow down searches by choosing a preferable characteristic such as eye colour or hair colour. The site has advanced functionality to prevent donors over-contacting recipients along with email reminders of the live birth donor law within the UK. The site is also constantly monitored to ensure all members are genuine.
Due to recent law changes and the introduction of the new parenting law, lesbian couples can now both be named on the birth certificate and take equal parental responsibility. This law also means that lesbian couples in civil partnerships can use known donors and be treated using IUI (inter-uterine insemination) rather than IVF. This new law allows men to donate sperm to a couple of their choice without the worry of being held financially responsible. Gay men also have the option of having definite contact with the child if agreed between everyone involved, through legal contact orders. There are now many legal options to suit different family situations, depending on who donors donate sperm to and what level of contact with the child they wish to have.
Members are advised to use HFEA regulated fertility clinics for treatment and to gain all the right legal advice regarding setting up written donor or co-parenting agreements from fertility law specialists.
November 28, 2009 - On Top Magazine
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Report: Inequalities Fueling AIDS Pandemic In Latin America
by On Top Magazine Staff
A new report released ahead of World AIDS Day says social and economic inequalities are fueling the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Latin America and the Caribbean. The International Red Cross released its findings Friday in Bogota, Columbia.
“Despite efforts to reduce the impact of HIV in the region, many of these factors have not been adequately addressed,” says the report. “Most countries in Latin America and the Caribbean are affected by social and economic inequality which creates a growing gap in health conditions between those who can afford medical services and have access to higher education and those who live in precarious conditions with little or no medical services and limited access to education and prevention information.”
Haiti continues to lead the region with the highest rate of infection, while Chile has the lowest. New infections for Latin American in 2007, the latest estimates available, totaled 140,000, bringing up to 1.7 million the number of people living with HIV in the region. About three-quarters of the estimated 230,000 people living with HIV in the Caribbean are from Haiti and the Dominican Republic. In total, 77,000 people died of AIDS in 2007, the report said.
Sex between men is the primary mode of transmission in Latin America, while unprotected heterosexual intercourse is driving the Caribbean's epidemic. Sex between men also plays a significant factor in the epidemics of several Caribbean nations. Epidemics in Latin America and the Caribbean remain largely confined to members of at-risk groups: men who have sex with men, prisoners, sex workers and injecting drug users. One example cited was in Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina and its largest city, where HIV infection among bisexual and gay men is between 7 and 15 percent, but the nation has an overall low infection rate, just .06 percent of adults.
The report concludes that the region's most vulnerable populations and minorities are bearing the brunt of the pandemic; social and economic inequalities widen the gap.
“Understanding the local specificities of the HIV pandemic is key to success in reducing the scale of HIV transmission. It is vital to work directly with most at risk populations to try to prevent further infections, employing a range of approaches such as peer education and behaviour change communication,” Julie Hoare, the IFRC’s health and social services coordinator for the Americas, said in a statement. “Addressing vulnerability by advocating on behalf of the most vulnerable communities confronted with the threat of HIV, improving access to services and reducing stigma and discrimination are equally important.”
November 30, 2009 - PinkNews
44
One in five people with HIV harassed or threatened
by Jessica Geen
A survey into stigma around HIV has found that one in five people living with the disease has been harassed or threatened in the last year. The People Living With HIV Stigma Index, a two-year research project funded by the Department for International Development and the International Planned Parenthood Federation, also found that one in five people with HIV had been refused medical treatment. The research, released ahead of World AIDS Day, is to be presented in parliament today.
Other findings in the report were that almost two-thirds of the 867 HIV-positive respondents were not confident their medical records were being kept confidential and 18 per cent had their status revealed without their consent. Twelve per cent of people had been physically harassed in the last year because of their HIV status.
More than 60 per cent of respondents felt optimistic about changing attitudes through challenging discrimination, with 45 per cent saying they had confronted over people who they felt were stigmatising them. Around 80 per cent knew where to find support services, although only 23 per cent used them. The report is to be presented to parliament by health secretary Andy Burnham.
He said: "I welcome this report. Effective treatments have transformed the lives of people with HIV and today many more people with HIV can plan for their future with more certainty. But even in the UK, individuals and families affected by HIV can experience stigma and discrimination. Tackling HIV stigma is everyone's business. Working with HIV voluntary organisations, we have funded work on tackling stigma as part of the national strategy for sexual health and HIV. We will carefully consider this report's findings."
Lisa Power, head of policy at Terrence Higgins Trust, said “HIV is treatable nowadays, but prejudice and ignorance seem to be harder to tackle.
"Using modern treatments people with HIV can now live full lives, often into old age, working and having families and relationships. But they still face huge levels of stigma in the UK which make it difficult to lead those ordinary lives – stigma in the workplace, in the health system and in their private lives. That stigma is much of what makes people reluctant to test for HIV, reluctant to disclose a diagnosis and reluctant to trust even those closest to them. Unless we learn to challenge stigma and tackle ignorance, HIV will continue to spread by fear and stealth.”
December 1, 2009 - PinkNews
45
World AIDS Day: This year's biggest HIV and AIDS news stories
by Jessica Geen
One of the biggest stories around HIV this year happened when Pope Benedict XVI spoke out about his view on HIV. While on a flight to Africa in March, he told journalists that condoms "aggravate" the problem of HIV. He was roundly condemned for the statement, while respected medical journal The Lancet demanded that he retract the comments. The Pope has previously counselled that abstinence is the only way to counter the spread of the disease. The Lancet later attacked the UK's policy on HIV prevention, saying that Department of Health recommendations for a stronger public health response were being ignored, despite one former senior government health official warning that the problem is an “appalling statistic”, and a “serious epidemiological issue”.
Around the same time, charity Unicef warned that Britain now had the highest number of new HIV infections in western Europe, with gay and bisexual men and black Africans most at risk. In 2007, there were more than 7,700 new HIV diagnoses in the UK and the organisation also warned that infection rates in young people were rising, with ten per cent of new infections occurring in those aged between 16 and 24. The second highest figure for new infections was in France, with 4,075. Germany, which has ten million more people than Britain, had 2,752 new cases. Four in ten of those diagnosed with the disease were men who have sex with men.
Read Entire Article HERE
December 1, 2009 - PinkNews
46
Gay by nature: Part one
by Adrian Tippetts
What causes homosexuality? Can sexual orientation be changed? And are the brains of gay people different from those of straight people? Adrian Tippetts meets Dr Qazi Rahman, an assistant professor in Cognitive Biology from Queen Mary University London, to find out more.
While almost all scientists accept homosexuality has purely natural causes, the debate has been mired in confusion. There have been conflicting reports about the existence of ‘gay’ genes and their significance. Religious propagandists have tried to promote the myths that sexuality is changeable. And the mainstream media, more interested in causing controversy than holding rational debate, has done little to raise public understanding about the issue. For Dr Rahman, who heads QMUL’s Biological and Experimental Psychology Group, it is quite clear: you’re born gay, and that’s that.
I begin by asking him what aspects of biology are responsible for sexual orientation.
Read Entire Article HERE
December 2, 2009 - PinkNews
47
Gay by nature: Part two
by Adrian Tippetts
In part one, published yesterday, Dr Qazi Rahman of Queen Mary University London discussed the impact of genes and hormones on homosexuality. Here, he addresses the isse of gay stereotypes and refutes psychoanalytic theories of why some people are gay. He also suggests that research into gay brains may help combat homophobia. Adrian Tippetts reports.
On the subject of gay stereotypes, Dr Rahman said: "[These] might originate from the observation that as children, gay men tend to be gender non-conforming; they are more feminine on average, and that is seen across cultures. These preferences may have their basis in neurobiology during early development (gender roles are partly organised by prenatal sex hormones and develop even before children can label the sexes and ascribe gender roles to them)."
He added: "But don’t get too carried away with unrealistic stereotypes, as there is a great deal of variation within that range of gay men. Plenty of gay men are interested in competitive sport and other spheres traditionally thought of as 'male' domains. And scientists need to explain that variation too. This is an area where we need more research."
How does this explain bisexuality, and reports of people changing sexuality?
REad Entire Article HERE
November 27, 2009 - Fridae
48
First ever consultation on MSM HIV/AIDS Care & Support held in Bangkok
by Laurindo Garcia
Over 90 representatives from 12 countries attend the first ever regional consultation on MSM HIV/AIDS care and support held last week in Bangkok.
The first ever Asia Regional Consultation on MSM HIV/AIDS Care and Support was held in Bangkok from 17-20 November. Co-sponsored by USAID (United States Agency for International Development), UNDP (United Nations Development Program), and organised by FHI (Family Health International), the landmark meeting was attended by over 90 people from 12 countries including China, India, Hong Kong, Laos, Nepal, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand, comprising representatives from community based organisations, government public health officials, technical advisors, and funding agencies such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Clinton Foundation.
Care and support for MSM (men-who-have-sex-with-men) and TG (transgenders) with HIV/AIDS is an essential component of the HIV “Continuum of Care”, which comprises Prevention, Testing, Treatment, and Care & Support. Any effective HIV prevention strategy must also address the critical role that people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA) play. There is a concerted effort region-wide for MSM and TG to get a regular HIV test, and as more people test positive, it is necessary to rapidly scale up treatment programs and support services to meet their needs.
Read Entire Article HERE
November 2009 - unaidsrstesa.org
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Securing the Voice of African Men who have sex with men (MSM) within HIV&AIDS Development Policy and Programming in Eastern and Southern Africa
View Powerpoint HERE
December 6, 2009 - Positvely Aware
50
Got Lube? - The slippery slope for African men who don’t
by Jim Pickett
The main draw for me to attend the 5th International AIDS Society (IAS) Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention in Cape Town this past summer was the chance to spread the gospel of rectal microbicides and recruit, recruit, recruit new followers into research and advocacy efforts to make these new prevention tools a reality.
Reminder—microbicides are products currently in development that can be applied vaginally or rectally to protect against HIV transmission. Safe, effective, acceptable, and accessible microbicides would be important additions to the prevention “buffet” for millions of women and men.
Thanks to the fabulous support of the AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition, and in conjuction with the advocacy network I lead—International Rectal Microbicide Advocates (IRMA)—we were able to pull together a satellite session at the IAS meeting with the Microbicide Trials Network and a new South African program called Health4Men. Titled “Rectal Microbicide Development—An African Perspective,” we brought together five speakers (researchers and one advocate—moi) to discuss the latest in rectal microbicide science and advocacy, placing a special focus on HIV among gay men and other men who have sex with men (MSM) in Africa, including ways to access these populations for health care and HIV prevention studies.
These men will certainly benefit from prevention options beyond condoms, such as rectal microbicides.
Contrary to rampant, pernicious mischaracterizations—fueled by structural homophobia that negates the existence of gay/MSM and completely devalues their lives—gay men and other MSM exist in Africa. Hello! Despite official HIV/AIDS estimates that mostly ignore this fact, these men constitute a substantial percentage of people living with HIV/AIDS on the continent.
You can click here to check out the slides from each of the presentations, by the way. Meanwhile, I want to focus on the talk presented by Chris Beyrer of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, which kept my jaw dropped throughout. After contextualizing the challenges faced by African gay/MSM — including criminalization, stigma, discrimination, human rights abuses, lack of access to prevention and care, and limited HIV surveillance—Chris shared some numbers from Senegal, Ghana, Nigeria, Mauritania, Cote D’Ivoire, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Sudan, Egypt, South Africa, Zambia, Malawi, Namibia, and Botswana. The data revealed high burdens of HIV among gay/MSM across all these countries—significantly higher than prevalence rates among males from the general population in each country save South Africa, Botswana, and Namibia, where there are similar rates of HIV among gay/MSM compared to heterosexual men of reproductive age.
Another quick reminder: prevalence refers to the overall number of people with HIV in a specific population.
Read Article HERE
December 1, 2009 - physorg.com
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Gay, bisexual men who have social anxiety tend to engage in risky sex
A Ryerson University HIV researcher has found a link between social anxiety and unsafe sexual activities among gay and bisexual men, some of whom are HIV-positive.
Dr. Trevor Hart, director of the HIV Prevention Lab at Ryerson University, says that his early findings from a four-year study indicate that men(http://www.physorg.com/tags/men/) who are afraid of being judged in social situations are more likely to engage in unprotected sex with other males. Even more alarming, he found that the higher the level of social anxiety, the greater the chances of HIV-positive men taking part in unsafe sex.
"We suspect that socially anxious men who are HIV-positive are concerned that if they insisted on condom use, their partners may not want to have sex with them. It may also force these men to talk about their HIV status," says Dr. Hart. "In an age where there is still a lot of stigma against people living with HIV, it is understandable that HIV-positive men might have concerns about being judged about their HIV status."
During the study, the Sexual Health and Attitudes Research Project (SHARP), the psychology professor and his research team interviewed 300 men, 18 years and older, from the Greater Toronto Area. These men were asked about social anxiety they may have experienced, psychological distress, negative childhood experiences such as being abused by others and their sexual behaviour.
In addition to the SHARP study, Dr. Hart presented several research projects in November at conferences in Toronto and in New York City. One of the research findings presented found that among young adults living in Pune, India, those who were less confident in urging their partners to use a condom were more likely to have had risky sex in the past six months.
Whether Dr. Hart's studies are on HIV-positive men or adults living in India, his common goal is HIV prevention.
"Our research is increasingly moving in the direction of creating and evaluating counselling interventions that can reduce the spread of HIV among higher risk populations," says Dr. Hart.
A five-year Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) New Investigator Salary Award in HIV Research is enabling Dr. Hart and his 12-member research team to focus their attention on three key areas:
* Identifying risk factors in unprotected sex among adolescents and adults who are at risk of contracting or transmitting HIV;
* Examining the link between physical health and psychological outcomes among people living with HIV;
* Testing behavioural interventions to promote sexual health and to reduce sexual risk outcomes among people at high risk of contracting HIV and people living with HIV.
Other research projects underway include examining factors that influence HIV-positive women's decision about whether or not to become pregnant and HIV transmission among youth with disabilities. Dr. Hart and his research team is also exploring what makes high risk groups engage in harmful sexual behaviour, such as homeless youth and youth who have with a history in the youth justice system.
The findings from Dr. Hart's SHARP study, funded by the CIHR, are expected to be published within the next two years.
9th December 2009 - GayNZ
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The reality of gay-related mental health problems
by Chris Banks, the Mental Health Foundation & GayNZ.com
For most of the past 100 years homosexuality was considered a mental illness in New Zealand and countries such as Australia, the UK and the USA. Eventually it was recognised that sexual orientation itself was a red herring when it came to the cause of mental illness among gay men. In fact, it was the experience of living in a society where gay men being open about their sexuality could expect rejection at best, and violence at worst, that often led to gay-related mental ill health.
Despite legislative changes in New Zealand since the 1980s which have helped many sectors of society accept glbt folk as people who are different, not worse, research published in 2005 by Otago University found young gay men experience mental health problems five times more often than young straight men. Being gay is associated with increasing rates of depression, anxiety, illicit drug dependence, suicidal thoughts and suicide bids. In the UK, gay and bisexual men are over four times more likely to attempt suicide than straight men. New Zealand is unlikely to be much different.
So what are some of the sources of mental distress for gay men?
Read Article HERE
December 2009 - The American Psycological Association
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Report of the APA Task Force on Appropriate Therapeutic Responses to Sexual Orientation
Abstract
The American Psychological Association Task Force on Appropriate Therapeutic Responses to Sexual Orientation conducted a systematic review of the peer-reviewed journal literature on sexual orientation change efforts (SOCE) and concluded that efforts to change sexual orientation are unlikely to be successful and involve some risk of harm, contrary to the claims of SOCE practitioners and advocates.
Even though the research and clinical literature demonstrate that same-sex sexual and romantic attractions, feelings, and behaviors are normal and positive variations of human sexuality regardless of sexual orientation identity, the task force concluded that the population that undergoes SOCE tends to have strongly conservative religious views that lead them to seek to change their sexual orientation. Thus, the appropriate application of affirmative therapeutic interventions for those who seek SOCE involves therapist acceptance, support, and understanding of clients and the facilitation of clients’ active coping, social support, and identity exploration and development, without imposing a specific sexual orientation identity outcome.
Read Report HERE
December 2009 - MSM Asia
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Developing a Comprehensive Package of Services to Reduce HIV among Men who have Sex with Men (MSM) and Transgender (TG) Populations in Asia and the Pacific
Foreword
One of the biggest and most immediate challenges in effectively responding to HIV in the Asia Pacific region is confronting the truly startling rates of infection among men who have sex with men and transgender persons. This in a region already mired in challenges from legal and social barriers that inhibit effective programming and resource allocation, to deep-rooted stigma in health care settings that further limits access to services for HIV prevention, care and treatment.
Read Report HERE
December 17, 2009 - AIDSmap News
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HIV prevalence and risk behaviour varies between gay men in Southern and Eastern Europe
by Michael Carter
HIV prevalence is higher amongst gay men in Southern Europe than amongst gay men in Eastern Europe, according to an international study published in the December 3rd edition of Eurosurveillance. Almost 17% of gay men in Barcelona were HIV-positive, according to the results of the study, compared to a prevalence of 3% in Prague. However, the investigators also found high levels of risky sexual behaviour amongst gay men in Eastern Europe and low frequency of HIV testing. “The potential for further HIV transmission in Eastern European cities is evident”, they comment.
There has been a marked increase in annual HIV diagnoses amongst gay men across Europe since 2000. Although some of these diagnoses can be attributed to increased levels of HIV testing, others are due to recent onward transmission of the virus. Indeed, other research has shown that significant numbers of gay men engage in sexual behaviour that could involve a risk of contracting HIV. To better understand the epidemiology of HIV amongst gay and other men who have sex with men, a team of investigators designed a study that involved 2241 individuals in six cities (Barcelona, Spain; Bratislava, Slovakia; Bucharest, Romania; Ljubljana, Slovenia; Prague, Czech Republic; and Verona, Italy). The study was conducted between 2008-09.
The study participants were recruited from the gay scene and all reported sex with another men in the previous twelve months. HIV prevalence was monitored using oral HIV tests. The men also completed questionnaires about their sexual risk behaviour, drug use, and HIV testing history. HIV prevalence was much higher in Southern Europe than in Eastern Europe. The prevalence of the infection amongst gay men in Barcelona was 17% and it was 12% in Verona. Bratislava had the highest HIV prevalence in Eastern Europe (6%), followed by Ljubljana and Bucharest (both 5%) and Prague (3%).
Levels of HIV testing were highest in Barcelona (56%), followed by Verona (53%), Bucharest (43%), Prague (42%), Ljubljana (38%) and Bratislava (32%). Reported HIV risk behaviour varied between the cities. The use of condoms with a casual partner was reported by 67% of men in Barcelona and by 36% of individuals in Prague. Condom use for anal sex was lower with regular partners, and was reported by 43% of men in Barcelona and Bucharest and by 20% of men in Bratislava.
Men in Barcelona and Verona had the highest number of reported casual partners (mean 16 and twelve respectively), with lower numbers reported by men in Eastern Europe (mean six – eight). Alcohol was the most widely used drug in all cities, but other patterns of recreational drug use varied.
1 January 2010 - Fridae
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Fridae.com launches Asia's largest-ever Internet gay sex survey in 10 languages
by News Editor
If you are a man who has sex with other men, or a transgendered person, we invite you to participate in our community-driven survey. Participation is open to all those living in Asia. Asia’s leading gay website Fridae.com will launch the 2010 Asia Internet MSM Sex Survey (AIMSS) on January 1, 2010. Offered simultaneously in English, Simplified and Traditional Chinese, Cantonese, Japanese, Thai, Tagalog, Hindi, Melayu (Bahasa Malaysia) and Indonesian (Bahasa Indonesia), the the 2010 Asia Internet MSM Sex Survey (AIMSS) is expected to be the largest and most comprehensive pan-Asian Internet surveys of MSM and TG.
[MSM (men who have sex with men) is an inclusive public health term used to describe sexual behaviours, regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity; and includes self-identified gay, bisexual, or heterosexual men, as well as transgendered people (TG).]
The 140-question survey will focus on sexual and social behaviour of MSM and will query respondents about their HIV testing history, knowledge and attitudes towards HIV, drug and alcohol use, and travel history. It will take about 10 minutes to finish, and is completely anonymous and confidential. The information gathered will be used to design and improve the programs and interventions to reduce HIV and STI transmission among MSM and TG Internet users.
“With broadband Internet penetration growing exponentially throughout Asia, more gay men are citing the Internet as the most common ‘venue’ through which to meet other men,” said Dr Stuart Koe, principal investigator of the 2010 AIMSS. Dr Koe is also the founder and CEO of Fridae.com. “By offering AIMSS in different Asian languages, we hope to have a much deeper understanding of the social contexts and sexual behaviours of gays on the Internet, especially non-English speaking ones, which in turn gives us the much needed strategic intelligence to address the rapidly rising HIV infections in this demographic population.”
AIMSS is a community-initiated study primarily self-funded by Fridae.com, with partial supporting funds from the Hong Kong Department of Health. Logistics and marketing support is being provided by a coalition of community partners including community based organisations, academic researchers, and gay-friendly business owners in major cities across Asia. In 2009, a similar survey conducted by Fridae (in English) attracted almost 8,000 respondents majority of whom live in Singapore, Malaysia, USA, Australia, Hong Kong, Thailand and China. The 2009 MSM Sex Survey Final Report which was released to the public on Dec 24, 2009 can be downloaded from http://www.msmsexsurvey.com/report.pdf. (Key findings and conclusions are attached below.)
The 2010 Asia Internet MSM Sex Survey will run from Jan 1-Feb 28, 2010.
January 2010 - Times Colonist
57
Stigma driving AIDS crisis among African gays
Paris - Rates of HIV infection among gays in some African countries are 10 times that of the general male population, and stigma, poor access to treatment or testing are to blame, doctors said in The Lancet. A wall of silence, repression and discrimination are amplifying dangers for men who have sex with men in sub-Saharan Africa, they said in a paper published online on Monday.
Researchers from the University of Oxford looked at published studies for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevalence from 2003 to 2009. Prevalence among gays in some parts of West Africa is 10 times that for the general male population, they found. The difference varies a lot across Africa, but in most of the countries studied, the rates among homosexuals were substantially higher than among heterosexuals.
Political, religious and social hostility towards homosexuality is entrenched in many countries, and this breeds isolation, harassment and prejudice, enabling risky sex practices to multiply, the paper said.
"Unprotected anal sex is commonplace, knowledge and access to inappropriate risk prevention measure are inadequate and... in some contexts, many MSM (men who have sex with men) engage in transactional sex," it said. The paper said secrecy was so entrenched that data about gay sex behaviour in Africa was often sketchy or absent.
"There's surprisingly little known," said lead investigator Adrian Smith. "(...) (W)hat little evidence we do have suggests that MSM are a vulnerable group that exists across sub-Saharan Africa."
The review stressed that the risks were not limited to gays, as many MSM also have sex with women. "In the early 1980s, silence equals death became a rallying cry" for gays in the United States, it said. "Nearly three decades later in sub-Saharan African the silence remains, driven by cultural, religious, and political unwillingness to accept MSM as equal members of society."
Around 33 million people have HIV, according to figures issued in 2008 by the UN agency UNAIDS. Two-thirds of them live south of the Sahara.
10 February 2010 - Fridae
58
Me and my foreskin: About HIV prevention, circumcision & anal sex
by Jan Wijngaarden
Some of you may have heard about studies showing that male circumcision can help men protect themselves from HIV. But what is the potential role of circumcision as an HIV prevention strategy for gay men? Fridae's Men’s Sexual Health columnist Jan Wijngaarden has more.
The foreskin, for those of you who don't have one (or, worse, have never seen or tasted one), is a retractable double-layered fold of skin and mucous membrane that covers the glans penis and covers the mouth of the urinary tract when the penis is not erect. This is supposed to protect the urinary tract, but there has been some evidence that infections of the penile glans and urinary tract are more common in uncicrumcised men than in their circumcised brothers. Indeed, the most-often quoted reason for circumcision is for both cultural/religious and for hygienic reasons. All Jews and Muslims and some groups of Christians cirumcise their boys, often following quite detailed rituals. For a map of circumcision rates in the world, very helpful in determining your favorite circumcised holiday destination.
Circumcision can be done using several different techniques. I looked it up on Wikipedia and copied some of the below from there. It is not for the faint-hearted! For infant circumcision, devices such as the Gomco clamp, Plastibell, and Mogen clamp are commonly used. With all these devices the same basic procedure is followed. First, the amount of foreskin to be removed is estimated. The foreskin is then opened via the preputial orifice to reveal the glans underneath and ensure it is normal. The inner lining of the foreskin is then bluntly separated from its attachment to the glans. The device is then placed (this sometimes requires a dorsal slit) and remains there until blood flow has stopped. Finally, the foreskin is amputated. Sometimes, the frenulum band may need to be broken or crushed and cut from the glans penis near the urethra to ensure that the glans can be freely and completely exposed. If this is not done early, the frenulum may come off the glans when intercourse is started, leaving a bloody mess.
Read Article HERE
February 2010 - DMS 5
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Sexual and Gender Identity Disorders
Please find below a list of disorders related to the diagnostic category, Sexual and Gender Identity Disorders. The Sexual and Gender Identity Disorders Work Group has been responsible for addressing these disorders. We appreciate your review and comment on these disorders.
Click HERE
February 22, 2010 - PinkNews
60
Mass screening 'could eradicate AIDS in 40 years'
by Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk
A leading researcher has claimed that testing billions of people could eradicate HIV/AIDS within 40 years. Dr Brian Williams of the South African Centre for Epidemiological Modelling and Analysis said that focus needed to shift to stopping transmission.
Read Article HERE
21 February 2010 - BBC
61
Drugs 'could stop spread of Aids'
Anti-retroviral treatments (ARVs) and universal testing could stop the spread of Aids in South Africa within five years, a top scientist says. Dr Brian Williams says the cost of giving the drugs to almost six million HIV-positive patients in the country would be $2-3bn per year. Only about 30% get the life-saving drugs, he said, but early detection and treatment would prevent transmission. This, he said, should be complementary to the search for an Aids vaccine.
Read Article HERE
22 February 2010 - The Independent
62
Aids: is the end in sight? Mass prescription of anti-retroviral drugs could eradicate the disease within 40 years, scientist says
by Steve Connor, Science Editor, in San Diego
Testing everyone at risk of HIV and treating them with anti-retroviral drugs could eradicate the global epidemic within 40 years, according to the scientist at the centre of a radical new approach to fighting Aids. An aggressive programme of prescribing anti-retroviral treatment (ART) to every person infected with HIV could stop all new infections in five years and eventually wipe out the epidemic, said Brian Williams of the South African Centre for Epidemiological Modelling and Analysis.
Dr Williams is part of a growing body of experts who believe that anti-HIV drugs are probably the best hope of preventing and even eliminating the spread of Aids, rather than waiting for the development of an effective vaccine or relying solely on people changing their sexual lifestyle.
