HIV, sexually transmitted infections and sexual practices among male sex workers attending a sexual health clinic in Melbourne, Australia: 2010 to 2018
Sexually Transmitted Diseases Jan 25, 2021
Turek EM, Fairley CK, Tabesh M, et al. - Among male sex workers (MSWs) attending a sexual health clinic in Melbourne, this study was undertaken to investigate demographic features, sexual practices, and HIV/sexually transmitted infection (STI) positivity. Between 2010 and 2018, all first-visit consultations with men 18 years or older who self-identified as current sex workers and attended the Melbourne Sexual Health Centre had their computerized medical records examined. They obtained demographic data, sexual behavior data, and laboratory results for HIV, syphilis, chlamydia, and gonorrhea as part of routine clinical care at Melbourne Sexual Health Centre. Researchers included a total of 190 MSWs in the analysis; median age was 28 years (interquartile range, 23–30 years), 30.4% (52/171) reported having condomless penile-anal sex with their clients, and 59.6% (102/171) reported having condomless penile-oral sex with their clients since their last STI screening. Most (85.6%) MSWs had noncommercial sex partners, including 56.5% with male partners only, 30.6% with female partners only, and 12.9% with both. The study demonstrates that male sex workers can be categorized into two groups: those who had male clients and/or noncommercial partners who have a relatively high HIV/STI positivity and those who only had female partners or clients whose HIV/STI positivity is low. The findings highlight that both have a high proportion of condomless sex with clients and noncommercial sex partners. There is a need for strategies to increase condom use during sex work.
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