01 December,2010 08:16 AM IST | | Alifiya Khan
23.6% of gay men in city HIV positive; number of infected rises by 1% annually
After notching up the dubious distinction of having one of the highest HIV-infected gay populations in the country, the city continues to throw up evidence of an increasing number of gay men indulging in unsafe sex.
Experts say migrant homosexual men ufffd many of them from the large number of students and IT professionals arriving in droves from other parts of the country ufffd are driving the epidemic in the city, and that the number of HIV positive gay men in the city is rising by 1 per cent every year.
The city is a hub of both education and IT, attracting thousands of students and techies every year. Experts say that though most of the gays among them are educated and aware of the dangers of unsafe sex, they often end up indulging in risky sexual behaviour in the heat of the moment, especially as they suddenly find themselves in a free environment away from their families.
According to the last sentinel survey of the National Aids Control Organisation (NACO), more than 23.6 per cent of the homosexuals in the city carry the virus, the largest in the country.
A recent study published in the Journal of Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome said that the city was a
centre where gay men reported having a high incidence of HIV infection and sexually transmitted diseases. The chief reason behind this was that a large percentage of men having sex with men (MSM) reported not using a condom with their partners despite knowing about safe sex practices.
Ashok Row Kavi, one of the authors of the study, said that unsafe anal sex, multiple partners and refusal to accept HIV as a possible fallout of high-risk behaviour were the main reasons behind the spread of HIV in gay men across cities.
"There is at least a 1 per cent rise in HIV infection in the gay population every year, though in other target groups the HIV incidence is decreasing," said Kavi. "It is time that our focus and strategies be targeted towards gay men as they are the biggest risk group for HIV. As far as Pune is concerned, there is no doubt about its huge population of HIV-infected gay men."
Asked what could be the reason for the high incidence among gay men, he said migrant gay males were driving the epidemic in the city.
"By migrants I mean the large student and techie community. There are at least 103 colleges in Pune city alone, and then there are the ones on the periphery. These students are living away from home and can indulge in what they consider as casual fun and risk-taking is high among them," said Kavi. "This could be one of main factors driving the HIV epidemic."
Bindu Madhav Khire, a gay rights activist who runs the Samapathik Trust, agreed.
"Yes a large contribution to the HIV epidemic comes from migrant males.
Students who come to the city, the IT industry people and the industrial workforce in Pimpri-Chinchwad area are contributing to it. We know because the gay men who come to seek interventions are mostly young, and later when their HIV status is discovered, we learn of their risky sexual behaviour," he said.
Jasmir Thakur, who runs the NGO Sambhavna for gay men, said that while the city has a high prevalence of HIV-infected gay men, the data could be a little exaggerated as well.
"In some cases, may be the data has been duplicated. Yet, it cannot be denied that a large population of young gay men carry the virus into Pune. Some of them are not just gay, they have female partners, which is worse. They could pass it to their girlfriends and wives too," said Thakur.
