The Hindu : National : ‘High prevalence of gay sex in Pune, Bangalore’

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‘High prevalence of gay sex in Pune, Bangalore’

Aarti Dhar

NEW DELHI: Pune and Bangalore are emerging as major cities having a high prevalence of gay sex or men having sex with men (MSM).

More than 23.6 per cent homosexuals in Pune and 19 per cent in Bangalore also carry the HIV virus.

The two, however, are behind the north-eastern part of Delhi where the prevalence of MSM infected with the HIV virus is 33 per cent. The total percentage of gay men carrying the virus is 11.8 per cent at present.

Other cities where homosexuals suffer from HIV infection include Rajkot (14 per cent), Surat (13 per cent), Imphal-West (10.4 per cent) and Krishna district in Andhra Pradesh (10 per cent).

The rise in gay sex and subsequent HIV infection was reported between 2004 and 2006, according to the 2006 HIV sentinel surveillance analysis carried out by the National Institute of Health and Family Welfare and the National AIDS Control Organisation.

While in 2004, 12.8 per cent gay men had the virus in Pune, the figure rose to 14.8 in 2005 and 23.6 in 2006.

Similarly, the percentage in Bangalore was 10 in 2004 that went up to 11.6 in 2005 and crossed the 19 per cent mark in 2006. Krishna district had 16 per cent HIV positive gay men in 2004, the figure came down to 6.5 per cent in 2005 but shot up to 10.2 per cent the next year.

In Imphal, it was 14 per cent in 2004, 15 in 2005 and 10 in 2006. Mumbai showed a decline from 9 to 6 per cent in the first two years but the figure increased to 7 per cent in 2006. The trend was positive in Chennai where the percentage came down from 7 to 4 and was steady at 4 per cent in 2006 also. The other southern cities where gay sex is spreading HIV/AIDS include Villuppuram in Tamil Nadu, South Goa and Puducherry.

As many as four Kerala cities — Kannur, Kollam, Kasargod and Ernakulam — are beginning to see this trend, as more than 75 per cent of gay men attending specific clinics in these cities were found to be HIV positive. The survey was based on data collected from 1,122 sites, out of which 28 sites were exclusively for the gay.

In eleven of the 28 sites, HIV prevalence was more than five per cent making it clear that unprotected gay sex was spreading the disease.

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