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Rate of young men with HIV skyrockets
The HIV pandemic is at a pivotal juncture in Asia Pacific, given the increasing number of young men who have sex with men (MSM) becoming affected with HIV
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he HIV pandemic is at a pivotal juncture in Asia Pacific, given the increasing number of young men who have sex with men (MSM) becoming affected with HIV.
'This is the defining moment for the region to respond to MSM and HIV. We have the tools, evidence and know-how to rapidly mobilize action across all sectors and turn the epidemic among men who have sex with men around,' said Steve Krauss, director of the UNAIDS' regional support team for Asia and the Pacific.
An estimated 64 percent of people living with HIV in the region are men, who include clients of sex workers and intravenous drug users. The total regional population of men who have sex with men is estimated to be between 10.5 million and 27 million people.
National HIV prevalence is estimated to be more than 5 percent for MSM in six countries, namely China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam.
Prevalence is particularly high, at around 15 to 25 percent, in large urban areas such as Jakarta, Bangkok and Hanoi. A high proportion of the men become infected at a young age.
Male sex workers are more likely to be infected than their female counterparts in these three cities, with an HIV prevalence rate as high as 18 percent.
One report said that MSM had, on average, been with at least six male partners in the last six months. A high proportion also had regular female partners, amounting to around 86 percent in China, 64 percent in Indonesia and 49 percent in Vietnam.
Deep-rooted stigma and discrimination remain the central challenge, however, to combatting HIV; a fight that is often compounded by oppressive laws that target men who have sex with men.
A young gay man from Indonesia, identified as Brondongmanis (meaning 'cute boy'), said most young gays in Indonesia avoided being tested as they faced a double burden in the form of 'stigma based on sexual orientation and age', he said.
Jeff Klein from the Philippines said: 'Gays and MSM need proper education, strong support groups and empowerment.'
Tung Bui, coordinator of the Bangkok-based Youth Voice ' a network of young MSM and transgender people ' said it was incredibly difficult for young gays and young MSM to gain acceptance from their families as well as society at large.
Most young people were reluctant to get tested as they may face various kinds of rejection and/or prejudicial treatment from health providers, Bui said.
'When someone enters a hospital to be tested, the medical staff sometimes shower them with questions, such as 'why are you involved in same-sex activity?', or other weird questions that may deter young people from having the test,' he told the The Jakarta Post.
Midnight Poonkasetwattana, executive director of the Asia-Pacific Coalition on Male Sexual Health, said there was a strong correlation between societal stigma and discrimination and sexual health among MSM.
In the Asia-Pacific region, consensual male-to-male sex was still considered unnatural behavior, he said.
'This stigma, particularly when acted out in any form of discrimination, seriously impedes the accessibility and quality of health care and other social services for these groups in society,' he said on Thursday.
He added that many gay men and transgender people were professionals, namely lawyers and doctors who wanted contribute to society. 'We are not scary people, as many people believe. We are ordinary human beings.'
