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. 2019 May 22;19(1):623.
doi: 10.1186/s12889-019-6942-7.

One size does not fit all: HIV prevalence and correlates of risk for men who have sex with men, transgender women in multiple cities in Papua New Guinea

Avi J Hakim  1 , Kelsey Coy  2 , Steven G Badman  3 , Barne Willie  4 , Rebecca Narokobi  4 , Josephine Gabuzzi  4 , Simon Pekon  5 , Martha Kupul  4 , Parker Hou  4 , Herick Aeno  4 , Ruthy Neo Boli  4 , Joshua Nembari  4 , Sophie Ase  4 , Angelyne Amos  4 , Nick Dala  5 , Damian Weikum  2 , Steven Callens  6 , John M Kaldor  3 , Andrew J Vallely  3   4 , Angela Kelly-Hanku  3   4 ; Kauntim mi tu Study Team
Affiliations

One size does not fit all: HIV prevalence and correlates of risk for men who have sex with men, transgender women in multiple cities in Papua New Guinea

Avi J Hakim et al. BMC Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: Biobehavioral data about men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women (TGW) in Papua New Guinea (PNG) are limited to those who sell sex. Information about those MSM and TGW who do not sell sex is necessary to guide HIV prevention and treatment efforts.

Methods: We conducted respondent-driven sampling (RDS) surveys among MSM and TGW in Port Moresby, Lae, and Mt. Hagen, PNG from in 2016 and 2017. Eligibility criteria was: aged > 12 years, born male, could speak English or Tok Pisin and had oral or anal sex with another person born male in the past 6 months. Participants were interviewed face-to-face and offered rapid HIV testing. Weighted data analysis was conducted using RDS-Analyst (v. 0.62).

Results: We enrolled 400 participants in Port Moresby, 352 in Lae, and 111 in Mt. Hagen. In the last six months, 73.2% of MSM/TGW in Port Moresby, 77.9% in Lae, and 75.9% in Mt. Hagen, had a concurrent sexual partnership. Upwards of 70% of MSM/TGW in all three cities had sex with a woman in the same period. Less than half of MSM/TGW had ever tested for HIV. HIV prevalence among MSM/TGW was 8.5% in Port Moresby and 6.9% in Lae. Among participants in Mt. Hagen it was 1.3%. HIV was associated with not having sex with a woman in the last six months and sexually transmitted disease symptoms in the last 12 months in Port Moresby and Lae. In Port Moresby, it was also associated with an uncut foreskin, and in Lae with earning income in the formal sector and being unable to rely on other MSM or TGW to accompany them to healthcare services.

Conclusions: The large proportion of MSM and TGW with concurrent sexual partnerships, combined with the low testing coverage, indicates strong potential for the spread of HIV. The different correlates of HIV in Port Moresby and Lae highlight the importance of conducting surveys in multiple locations and using data to develop locally appropriate interventions even within a country.

Keywords: HIV correlates; Men who have sex with men; Papua New Guinea; Respondent-driven; Transgender women; sampling..

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

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