HC order on gays will help in HIV prevention, say experts

[Guest guest]

HC order on gays will help in HIV prevention, say experts

3 Jul 2009, 0218 hrs IST, Kounteya Sinha, TNN

NEW DELHI: Prejudice against homosexuality is seriously affecting India's fight

against the deadly HIV but Thursday's judgment by the Delhi High

Court promises to be a boon for the country's National AIDS Control

Organisation.

Experts said oppressive laws such as Section 377 had driven men who have sex

with men (MSM) underground, making it much harder to reach them with HIV

prevention, treatment and care services.

India, therefore, was seeing an alarming increase in HIV infection among MSMs.

NACO estimates that the prevalence of infection within this community is 7.41%,

thanks to multi-partner and commercial sexual practices, meaning that seven out

of every 100 MSMs are presently infected with HIV — the highest among all high

risk groups.

Estimates say that India is home to 2.35 million MSMs of which 100,000 are at

high risk of contracting HIV. Already, 15% of this community is infected as

access to information and condoms are limited.

Speaking to TOI, Dr Gilks from UNAIDS said, " Section 377 of the IPC,

that made homosexuality a criminal offence, was an impediment to our working

effectively with the MSM community. Fear of harassment made them stay

underground, thereby making it difficult for us to map the size of this

community. "

Dr Gilks added, " It will take a long time for the public attitude towards MSMs

to change. But Thursday's judgment will make it easier for us to reach out to

the MSM community and include them in targeted interventions that will protect

them against HIV by making sex between males safer. "

Interventions include behavioural change education, services to treat sexually

transmitted infections, providing condom and lubricants, linking them with

integrated counselling and testing centres and providing them with life saving

anti-retroviral drugs if infected.

Under India's National AIDS Control Programme II (NACP II), till a year back,

only 30 TIs were dealing with the MSM community.

At present, the number of such MSM-specific interventions stands at 184,

covering 70% of the population. Each of the TIs are being allocated Rs 12-18

lakh per year for implementation.

" Around 30 more TIs are being planned for MSMs. Because such interventions are

based on self-identification, the judgment will help more MSMs come out in the

open, " a NACO official said.

Former health minister A Ramadoss, who was the first to favour an amendment to

Section 377, told TOI Section 377 was an archaic law and must go. " I welcome the

judgment and it's a way forward. Because it was criminal to be a homosexual till

now, these people never came out in the open and infection rates were very high.

Now health workers can fearlessly reach out to the MSM community to protect them

against HIV, " Ramadoss said.

According to government estimates, 5% of all sexually active males in India have

sex with other men.

A report from American Foundation for AIDS Research recently said MSMs were 19

times more likely to be infected with HIV than the general population, yet were

ignored in many countries.

Criminalisation of sexual activity between males was a major driver of the

epidemic in many countries, the report concluded. Seven of 10 countries with the

highest reported HIV rates among gay and bisexual men criminalise homosexuality.

Globally, 86 countries criminalise sexual activity between males. In seven

countries, sexual activity between males is punishable by death.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/HC-order-on-gays-will-help-in-HIV-preve\

ntion-say-experts/articleshow/4730527.cms