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Lancet report blames prejudice for vast disparity in sub-Saharan Africa
HIV
African male gay HIV 10x straight figure
Research carried out at Oxford University and published in medical journal the Lancet has found that HIV rates in some African countries are 10 times higher for gay men than among the general male population, due to risky sexual practises resulting from prejudice, isolation and harassment. Better education and resources were needed in the fight against HIV, the report said.
The researchers discovered that the prevalence of HIV/Aids in sub-Saharan Africa among gay men has been "driven by cultural, religious and political unwillingness to accept [gay men] as equal members of society". They also found that that many of the infected men also have female sexual partners.
In a BBC interview, lead researcher Adrian Smith said there was "profound stigma and social hostility at every level of society concerning either same-sex behaviours amongst men, or homosexuality. This has the consequence that this group becomes extremely hard to reach." Mr Smith said that not only had gay male sex always been accepted as particularly likely to lead to infection, but gay men were also more likely to be involved in sex work, to have multiple partners and to be intravenous drug users.
George Kanuma, a gay rights activist in Burundi, said to the BBC that many gay men, in order to get married and have children, "hide their sexual orientation" but continue to have sex with men. "Most of them know that you can contract HIV/Aids or any infection when you are making sex with women, but not when you are having sex with another man."
