Fridae

70 delegates including health sector officials, researchers, United Nations officials and community representatives representing 40 organisations in Hong Kong/Macau, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia, Thailand and China will convene at a landmark conference to be held in Singapore on Dec 2 & 3.

Positive Voices is a new ongoing series in which we will feature Asian LGBT individuals who are HIV-positive and are living positively.

Young delegates from 13 countries converged in Bangkok, Thailand for a landmark event to discuss how HIV/AIDS affects young gay, bisexual and transgender (TG) people in Asia and the Pacific.

While many may remember Dr Balaji Sadasivan for putting the blame on gay men for the spread of HIV in Singapore, his political leadership and support to expand AIDS prevention programmes and increasing access to HIV testing and treatment has largely gone under the radar. (Updated)

The demand for universal recognition of human rights took the front seat at the world’s largest HIV conference where “Treatment 2.0” and “harm reduction” were the buzzwords. Comference organisers also called on governments to adopt harm reduction codes in place of continued criminalisation of drug-use. Fridae's Laurindo Garcia delivers a wrap-up report from Vienna.

The Asia Internet MSM Sex Survey 2010 preliminary report which focuses on cross-country comparison was released at the Vienna AIDS conference on 22 July. The study is one of the largest of its kind in the world with 13,882 respondents. A more detailed analysis on risk factors will follow in a few months.

Researchers at the AIDS Conference in Vienna report hat 6 in 100 Thai men who have sex with men acquire HIV each year.

A decline in HIV prevalence among the general population has been achieved through improvements to HIV prevention and treatment services for gay men, and other men-who-have-sex-with-men (MSM). Fridae's Laurindo Garcia reports from Vienna.

Fridae CEO Stuart Koe told attendees at the Be Heard! pre-conference for MSM at the AIDS 2010 conference in Vienna that health promoters should take advantage of the potential of the web to reach gay men and MSM more effectively.

Researchers who reviewed 16 studies – that were judged to be relevant enough to be included – found that the risk of HIV transmission during anal intercourse may be around 18 times greater than during vaginal intercourse.