QATAR – A new study has indicated that HIV epidemics are emerging in North Africa and the Middle East among men who have sex with men. The study conducted by researchers from Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar is believed to be the first study of its kind in countries where homosexuality and bisexuality are considered taboo.
Reuters reported researcher Ghina Mumtaz as saying, “It’s like the black hole in the global HIV map – and this has triggered many controversies and debates around the status of the epidemic.
“Men who have sex with men are still a highly hidden population in the region and there is stigma around this behavior, but some countries have been able to find creative ways of dealing with the problem and at the same time avoiding the social, cultural and political sensitivities.”
Mumtaz stressed the need for at-risk countries to act quickly to expand HIV surveillance and access to HIV testing, prevention and treatment services to prevent further escalation of the problem.
According to the latest United Nations data an estimated 33.3 million people worldwide had the HIV virus that causes AIDS in 2009 and 22.5 million of those live in sub-Saharan Africa.
