1 in 7 London gay scene men are HIV+

posted: 22/07/2010

HIV is far more common on the gay scene in major cities than most men realise. A new anonymous survey in bars and clubs in London shows 1 in 7 men on the scene there have HIV. Many on the gay scene across the country don’t even know they have HIV.

A few years ago the same survey showed Manchester, London, and Brighton all with 1 in 10 men on the scene having HIV. If it is 1 in 7 in London now, Manchester is unlikely to be far behind.

Using a simple anonymous HIV saliva test of 1,251 men in gay bars, clubs and saunas, 15.2% were found to have HIV. This is much higher than the Health Protection Agency estimate for gay men in London in general. Men using the scene are more likely to have HIV than gay men who aren’t regularly out on the scene.

1 in 7 Bus

There’s now a campaign running in London using the iconic red London Routemaster bus, with ‘1 in 7’ as the destination on the front. It’s to be seen in adverts in London gay magazines, on Gaydar, and as posters in London bars, saunas, and sexual health clinics.
 

Alan Wardle, Head of Health Promotion at Terrence Higgins Trust, said: “Men who have seen the campaign in focus groups have been genuinely shocked by the ‘1 in 7’ figure. Yet the reality is that, after Brighton, London has the highest HIV prevalence of any city in the UK.

"Many gay men wrongly believe that you can tell someone’s HIV status by what they look like, how they act, or who they’re friends with. But you can’t tell whether someone has HIV by looking at them, and with a quarter of gay men who have HIV currently undiagnosed, he may not even know himself.
 

"The assumption that HIV is visible is almost certainly affecting whether men use condoms or not. 47% of gay men surveyed reported having unprotected anal sex with at least one partner, and a quarter reported doing this with more than one casual partner. With this in mind, it’s vital this campaign reminds men that the best way to protect themselves and others is to use condoms.”
 

Source

Gay Men’s Sexual Health Survey 2009 in 36 gay venues. University College London / Health Protection Agency. Between December 2008 and February 2009, HIV prevalence of 15.2% was recorded among 1,251 men taking OraSure oral swab HIV tests in 36 London gay bars, clubs, and saunas.