Young gay men taking risks - raising HIV transmission

A new study on HIV transmission in Australia reveals an alarming culture shift in which younger gay men appear more willing to take sexual risks and so become infected with the virus earlier. When comparing older men who have sex with men (MSM) with those aged under 35, the younger ones were found to be more likely to have never previously been tested for HIV and more likely to report not knowing the HIV status of regular partners. These men commonly reported inconsistent condom use with casual and regular partners.
The study was published in the latest edition of the Medical Journal of Australia. Authors of the research from Melbourne’s Burnet Institute explained that several factors might be contributing to this trend that include rising rates of unprotected anal sex and the growing prevalence of other infections, such as syphilis and gonorrhoea, which increase the chance of bodily fluids mixing during sex.