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Young Men Who Have Sex with Men at High Risk for HIV, Bangkok MSM Cohort Study, Thailand 2006–2014

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Abstract

High HIV incidence has been reported in young men who have sex with men (YMSM) in North America and Western Europe, but there are limited data from Southeast Asia suggesting MSM may be the driver of the HIV epidemic in this region. We described HIV incidence and risk factors among 494 YMSM enrolled in a cohort study in Bangkok, Thailand. The HIV incidence was 7.4 per 100 person-years. In multivariable analysis, reporting use of an erectile dysfunction drug in combination with club drugs, having receptive or both insertive and receptive anal intercourse with men, having hepatitis A infection, having rectal Chlamydia trachomatis, having hepatitis B infection prior to HIV seroconversion, and reporting not always using condoms with male steady partners were significantly associated with HIV incidence in YMSM. Reduction in new HIV infections in YMSM are critical to reach targets set by Thailand and the region.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to all the participants for their dedication to the study, the Rainbow Sky Association of Thailand and outreach team, and the support of the personnel of the Thailand Ministry of Public Health-US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Collaboration, and all research nurses and counsellors, laboratory staff, IT staff and research assistants at the Silom Community Clinic.

Disclaimer

The findings and conclusions presented in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Funding

This work was supported by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. HIV/STD Research Program, Thailand Ministry of Public Health – U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Collaboration, DDC7 Building, 4th floor, Ministry of Public Health, Nonthaburi, 11000, Thailand

    Warunee Thienkrua, Philip A. Mock, Eileen F. Dunne, Boonyos Raengsakulrach, Wipas Wimonsate, Chaiwat Ungsedhapand & Timothy H. Holtz

  2. Doctor of Public Health Program in Epidemiology (International Program), Faculty of Public Health, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand

    Warunee Thienkrua

  3. Division of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Frits van Griensven

  4. Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Eileen F. Dunne & Timothy H. Holtz

  5. Faculty of Public Health, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand

    Nopporn Howteerakul

  6. Department of Disease Control, Ministry of Public Health, Nonthaburi, Thailand

    Anupong Chiwarakorn

Authors
  1. Warunee Thienkrua
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  3. Philip A. Mock
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  8. Chaiwat Ungsedhapand
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  10. Timothy H. Holtz
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Warunee Thienkrua.

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The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interests.

Ethical Approval

The study protocol was approved by the Ethical Review Committee for Research in Human Subjects of the Thailand Ministry of Public Health, and by the Institutional Review Board of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We obtained written informed consents from all participants.

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Thienkrua, W., van Griensven, F., Mock, P.A. et al. Young Men Who Have Sex with Men at High Risk for HIV, Bangkok MSM Cohort Study, Thailand 2006–2014. AIDS Behav 22, 2137–2146 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-017-1963-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-017-1963-7

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