People often wonder ... just how bad is it.

Well, it's just one survey, but based on this ... pretty darned bad.

http://www.bhiva.org/News.aspx?NewsID=1e454595-98c4-4f37-8efb-7bd59922d4a7

Nearly half of young gay men in Bangkok not using condoms consistently acquire HIV within five years of starting sex

Gus Cairns, 2014-07-28 11:30

A survey of young gay men and transgender women (MSM) in Bangkok has found that HIV incidence amongst them is running at 9% a year in those who don’t used condoms consistently – and 2% a year in ones who say they do.

It is assumed that of the 2 percent getting infected annually who report always using condoms that the claims of 100 percent condom usage are inflated.

At one time the bars required their workers to have regular blood tests to insure they were not spreading diseases! If they proved positive they were not allowed to work! I guess this has gone the way of the Dodo Bird, Extinct! They didn't want to pay for the tests! Now an uprising in Hiv and other Diseases! So Sad!!

As I understand it, the sex workers who had to be tested and knew they were positive would wait until test time and then quit and go to work at another bar. In other words, they just kept moving ahead of and around the required test. I am assuming a lot of them ended up being free lancers, which is probably riskier.

"In terms of sexual behaviour, men who reported condomless anal sex, either as the receptive partner or as ‘versatile’, had a 46% chance of HIV infection by five years; men who reported 100% consistent condom use had a 21% chance of having HIV by this time; and men who reported condomless sex, but only as the insertive partner, had a 14% chance of being HIV positive by this time.

Thus, in unadjusted analysis, self-reported 100% condom use was 54% effective as a preventative strategy against HIV in this cohort, and not taking the receptive role 70% effective."

Something about the statistics seems odd, especially with regards to getting HIV with consitent condom use being 21%. And then 14% for unprotected insertive. This data relys completely on the honesty of the participants. I am not convinced. And 100% condom us only being 54% effective.

Well, if you have sex with a condom after an oil massage, I don't know how well you would be protected in actual fact.

There was a momentary blip of higher awareness recently in the 'fashionable' community hereabouts; but it seemed more commercially driven than government/public service. They are losing the progress they made during the original and highly successful campaign of the 90s/00s.