One in five gay men do not know if you are infected with HIV – publico

                 

                         
                     

                         

                 

 
                         

One in five participants in a study of men who have sex with men not know whether he was infected with the HIV virus and it did not happen for lack of information or access to screening tests. “I do not know because they are afraid to know, or because they have not realized that health services are able to give you an effective, or not having to take on the behavioral changes that entails,” rehearses in explanation of way, Henrique Barros, one of the study coordinators whose final results will be discussed on Friday at the Public Health Institute of the University of Porto (ISPUP).

                     

This is not an access problem, in fact: in the group of respondents who had never tested, 81% said to make sure he could do it if I wanted. “What happens is that there is a different way of living the problem, there is a devaluation risk,” summarizes Henrique Barros, who chairs the ISPUP and has been national coordinator for HIV / AIDS.

A devaluation that could prove dangerous: the total of about five thousand Portuguese participants in this international survey, 10.9% said they were infected with the HIV virus and about half had been diagnosed five years or less .

Although other studies pointing to “like numbers,” Henrique Barros believes that the percentage of infected in Portugal “will probably be lower” because the recruitment of participants in this survey was conducted through social networks, blogs and dissemination at community events gay

Conducted in 38 countries, the survey EMIS ( European men who have fri with men -. Internet Survey ) was completed two years ago and the final results have now been translated and will be discussed by ISPUP and the Portuguese Group of Activist Treatments on HIV / AIDS (GAT), which are responsible for their coordination in Portugal.

Of the 5187 participants in Portugal, nearly 70% identified themselves as homosexual or , but 62% indicated that most people were unaware of their social networks to orientate sexual (ie, “lived in the closet”), reads the conclusions of the study.

Another fact that stands out this investigation and worries researchers is linked to unsafe sex. More than half of respondents admitted to having sex with casual partners in the last year and in this type of relationship, about one-third did not use condoms. Compounding among those who said they had used this type of protection, 85.6% admitted not having done properly.

Even in the context of a stable relationship, 16% reported having had anal penetration not protected with partners who did not know they were infected. In addition, 82% acknowledged having attended in the last four weeks, “coupling places” where men meet to have sex.

But not only HIV exposure that worries researchers. About 30% of respondents admitted not yet be vaccinated or be only partly vaccinated against hepatitis B, another sexually transmitted infection.

To Henrique Barros, these results prove the “resume a comfortable” in unprotected sex than previous generations avoided at a time when “they saw friends die around him.” So advocates, we need to “rethink the models of prevention.” “What we’re doing will not start,” he emphasizes, proposing as an alternative to “condom fatigue”, the antiretrovirals to take before sex, pre-exposure prophylaxis call.

Three decades after the appearance of this epidemic in Portugal cases of transmission of infection with HIV-related sex between men make up about one third of the total diagnosed in men. The problem is that despite the decrease in the overall number of infections and AIDS cases observed in recent years, cases in young men who have sex with men are increasing.

For all this, reiterates President ISPUP, “is very important to prevent the the local gay community, explain that there is treatment but no cure and that the side effects of the medication are many “and put non-governmental organizations to do this work, because a task of this kind is not suitable for working model of formal structures health, with fixed schedules.

In practice, the former national coordinator for HIV / AIDS proposes installing in larger cities such as Porto, detection structures infection and community intervention of the type CheckpointLX in Lisbon, which was “pioneer”. The CheckpointLX is a community-based center for quick, anonymous, confidential and free screening for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, and yet for counseling and referrals to health care.