HIV and Gay European Migrants
posted: 06/01/2011
Gay men from Central and Eastern Europe who now live in the UK are at risk of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, according to a new study.
Around one in four of the men surveyed said they had unprotected anal sex with a casual partner of a different or unknown HIV status, and 15% of men reported being paid for sex. The risks faced by gay and bi men from central and eastern European countries are broadly no worse nor better than the risks run by British men. But the men need culturally appropriate HIV and STI information.
The study looked at what happened after the ten central and eastern European states joined the European Union in 2004. Joining the EU gave people the right to live and work in the UK. The men were from the Czech Republic, Cyprus, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia. Most (80%) of those surveyed live in London.
Online recruits
Using the internet cruising sites gaydar and gayromeo, the investigators recruited 691 men. They answered in-depth on-line questionnaires. The men had a mean age of 29 years, most were working and 54% had a degree. The majority (83%) have lived in the UK for over a year and mainly live in the capital.
Risks taken
There is a high level of risk behaviour raising the chances of HIV transmission.
- 13% were paid for sex in the UK, with 22% having a history of being paid for sex
- 37% said they recently used recreational drugs
- 31% have had a sexually transmitted infection
- 62% had ten or more sexual partners in the past year
- 23% had unprotected anal sex that involved a risk of HIV transmission.
But HIV testing rates were high, with 79% stating that they had ever tested, and 64% said they had tested since arriving in the UK. British men could learn something helpful about taking regular (at least annual) HIV tests, from some of these European men.
HIV is less common than for British men
Prevalence of HIV was 5%, much lower than prevalence among UK gay men, which some studies have suggested is as high as 12% in London, and 1 in 10 in Manchester. Most of the men diagnosed with HIV, were diagnosed in the UK (78%).
Britons' bad example? Risky behaviour rises after arrival
The longer men lived in the UK, the more likely they were to report risky sex. Levels of drug use are higher after men have been here a year, and partner numbers also rise.
Condomless risks
Unprotected sex with casual partners of an unknown or different HIV status was linked significantly with being HIV-positive, or untested, recreational drug use, and being paid for sex in the UK.
“CEE (Central and Eastern European) MSM (Men who have Sex with Men) are at significant risk of the acquisition and transmission of HIV,” write the investigators, who emphasise the UK’s “duty of care to ensure that MSM from CEE countries are aware of their sexual health services in the UK and are able to access them.” They call for HIV prevention materials to be tailored to meet the needs of these men.
“Our findings suggest that CEE MSM report comparable levels of risk to those in the general MSM population in London and the UK,” comment the investigators, “interventions aimed at MSM should be accessible to CEE MSM.”
Source with reference
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