HIV rampant among gays, bisexual men in Asia
POSTED February 19, 2009 - 17:28 | POSTED BY Shikha Patial
Last edited by Shikha Patial on February 19, 2009 - 19:59
Bangkok, February 19: More than 30 percent of gays and bisexual men in Bangkok have HIVdefine, and trailing it closely are many other Asian cities. Health authorities blame it on group sex and low condom use among these communities.
A United Nations report projects that male-to-male sex may account for 50 percent of all the new HIVdefine cases in Asia by 2020. It accounts for 15 percent at present.
Frits van Griensven of U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), who is keeping track of AIDS epidemic in Asia, has found that there has been a rapid surge in HIV rates in Asian cities, most resulting from unprotected male-to-male sex.
Like in the West, homosexual and bisexual men of Asian origin are all over the World Wide Web, indulging in sex talk and hunting for mating partners.
Similar patterns can be seen both in the West and Asia of HIV transmission among gays and bisexual men, said Edmund Settle, a Manila-based HIV-AIDS policy specialist with the United Nations Development Program.
Low condom use among gays or males who have sex with males (MSM) is rampant, “There’s this perception of gay men and MSM throughout the region that if you use a condom you don’t trust your partner,” Settle said.
A Chinese survey of 18,000 gay and bisexual men in 61 cities showed that 18 percent of the subjects had HIV. Overall, in China, 5 percent of all those who have male-to-male sex are infected with HIV.
Homosexuality is on steep rise in China and other Asian countries. There are about 10 million gay and bisexual men in Asia. HIV is spreading unbridled among these communities.
Probably because of the attached stigmas to homosexuality, safe sex is often sidelined and only relationship satisfaction is sought. “They’re not afraid” of contracting HIV, says Wu Zunyou, director of the nation’s national center for AIDS control and prevention.
“They perceive personal relationships as more important than any health issue,” Wu said.
Also, because homosexuality is often kept hidden, close estimate of the number of homosexuals is hard to determine. This has made checking HIV spread even harder.
Frits van Griensven warns on the grave situation. “We’re really in for big trouble,” he said speaking at a meeting of health officials in Hong Kong yesterday. “There’s still time to do something, but we need to act rapidly.”
