Search

Objectives: Men who have sex with men (MSM) are a highly neglected population in the current recommendation of girls-only human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination programmes in many countries. To better assess the cost effectiveness of HPV vaccination among men requires data on the prevalence of HPV infection in MSM using a community sample, which is still sparse in several regions. We examined the prevalence of and factors associated with anogenital HPV infection among MSM in Taiwan.Methods: MSM 20 years of age and older were recruited from the community and social media in Taiwan in 2015-2016 and screened for HPV infection to detect 37 genotypes. MSM were seen at baseline and were/will be seen at 6, 12, 24 and 36 months. Men completed a questionnaire regarding their sexual experiences. Multivariable regression analyses were conducted to identify associated behavioural risk factors using the baseline data.Results: A total of 253 MSM were recruited; 87 % were below 35 years of age. Diagnosis of HIV was reported in 4% of men; just over 20% had three or more anal sex partners in the past year. The prevalence of any tested HPV type was 29.4% at the anal site and 11% at the penile site. One quarter of MSM were infected with any of the 9-valent vaccine HPV types. Anal HPV detection was associated with having three or more receptive anal sex partners in the past year (adjusted odds ratio (aOR)=2.92, 95% CI 1.29 to 6.61) and having older sex partners (aOR=2.51, 95% CI 1.07 to 5.90).Conclusions: Our data provide the base to calculate the reproductive rate for HPV transmission in a low-risk community sample and cost-effectiveness to include men in HPV vaccination policies. Adding evidence from a community sample adds comprehensiveness for future estimates of disease transmission and vaccine effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Geosocial networking application specific to men who have sex with men (MSM) (gay app) has revolutionised the social networking of MSM globally, much concern was raised over its linkage to HIV/syphilis risk. This study sought to examine the association between use of gay app and sexual behaviours and HIV/syphilis risk among Chinese MSM.Methods: Eligible MSM were recruited through combined offline methods from 2015 to 2017 in Shenzhen, China, with data collected including demographics, sexual behaviours, app use, recreational drug use and HIV testing. All participants are required to sign a written informed consent and take a confidential HIV and syphilis testing.Results: The prevalence of app use among non-commercial MSM (NcMSM) has rapidly increased from 12.5% in 2015 to 52.6% in 2017. The primary four apps used were Blued (97.2%), Aloha (18.4%), Jack'd (14.1) and Zank (14.1%). After controlling for confounders, HIV prevalence was still significantly lower among app users than non-app users (adjusted odds ratios [AOR]: 0.77, 95% CI 0.61 to 0.97), yet the lower prevalence of syphilis was not significant (AOR: 0.97, 95% CI 0.76 to 1.23). App-using NcMSM were more likely to be younger, unmarried, self-identified as homosexuality and having higher education level and income than non-app-using NcMSM. App-using NcMSM had higher rate of consistent condom use and HIV testing, higher level of knowledge on HIV/AIDS prevention and condom use; however, they were more likely to have multiple sexual partners, practice receptive role in anal sex and use recreational drug.Conclusions: App-using NcMSM are more likely to have sexual risk behaviours as well as risk-reduction behaviours such as consistent condom use and HIV testing. Scaled-up and innovative venue-based HIV interventions are warranted for these high-risk MSM frequent social venues with less condom use and fewer HIV tests. Meanwhile, gay app should alternatively serve as an intervention and education platform for the MSM hard-to-reach via venue-based approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]