New data unveiled today (Wednesday) ahead of World AIDS Day to be announced tomorrow, shows a worrying trend that has seen an increase in the percentage of infections among men who have sex with men. According to the data, half of the respondents who do not take the anti-AIDS drug treatment – PrEP, also do not have protected sex regularly.
The data, published in the position paper of the Bella Doug Array in the Committee to Fight AIDS, revealed that only 34% of respondents answered that people take the drug treatment and here too, about a fifth of them do not do so regularly. 55% of respondents who do not take PrEP reported that they were pressured to have sex without a condom. 45% of respondents who do not take PrEP admitted that they themselves exerted pressure on partners not to have sex with a condom. 21% of respondents reported that it had happened to them in the past that Partner removed the condom against their will.
According to the authors of the position paper, along with HIV infection, there has been an increase in the rate of infection with other sexually transmitted diseases in the community (syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia) in recent years.
Although 80% of respondents reported that they were regularly tested for sexually transmitted diseases and 62% reported that they had been infected with a sexually transmitted disease in the past, yet only 40% of them made sure to inform all their sexual partners and 19% reported that they did not update anyone .
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In light of the data, it has been decided that the main campaign for this year’s AIDS Day will be under the heading “Come to us” and will focus on promoting safe sexual health in the LGBT community. Rabbi Yossi Ventura.
Dr. Gal Wagner-Kolesco, Chairman of the Israeli Society for LGBT Medicine in Hari, Director of the Proud Clinic “Clalit Gan Meir” and Member of the Executive Committee of the Committee to Fight AIDS: . The referendum data reinforces the need of the proud community to set clear boundaries when it comes to sex also in aspects related to disease prevention. It is our responsibility to the medical staff together with the community itself, to ensure proper diagnosis and treatment, updating partners and using all existing prevention tools. We must first and foremost respect the choices of others and be aware of his desires also in the aspect of disease prevention. The poll shows that many men are exposed to pressure from condom removal partners as well as other pressures, it must turn on a red light in all of us. I am sure that the proud community that has known and knows many years of abuse, harm and discrimination will now also know how to create rules for itself that will allow mutual respect, only then can we move even further to a place of both physical and mental health. ”
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