It has been found that a new group of men, those who have sex with men but are not open about their sexuality, are at risk of HIV, according to new research from the University of Edinburgh, UK.
Researchers have suggested that public health messages should be targeted specifically at this neglected group to ensure that HIV can be avoided.
According to the report on the university’s website, this particular group are not open about their sexuality and are unlikely to mix in the same social venues as openly gay men.
Due to a fear of stigmatisation and rejection, it creates a barrier where they are unable to disclose their true sexuality. This means they are less likely to receive prevention messages and access the same healthcare as others, therefore being less aware of the risk of HIV.
A network of linked infections
To study patterns of HIV transmission and help identify this group, researchers from Edinburgh University used a national archive of data. The genetic codes of virus samples from over 60,00 HIV positive people in the UK were analysed.
Due to a rapid change of genetic information of the virus over time, by finding people whose virus was more similar, scientists were able to create networks of linked infections to see how the virus had spread.
Earlier work suggests that 6% of men claiming to be heterosexual at the time of diagnosis had actually become infected through sex with men.
About HIV
HIV attacks the body’s immune system and, if left untreated, can make it difficult to fight off infections.
Men who have sex with men are the group at most risk from the virus and account for half of those living with it; however, they tend to get diagnosed and treated at an early stage.
Professor Andrew Leigh Brown, from the School of Biological Sciences, said: “Nondisclosed men who have sex with men are more likely to be infected by each other than by openly gay men, and less likely to be aware of their risk.
“The finding shows that public health messages should be targeted specifically at this neglected group. It also shows that large-scale studies of health data can be carried out without risk to individual privacy.”
Source: University of Edinburgh
