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Calabrese SK, Mayer KH, Marcus JL. Prioritising pleasure and correcting misinformation in the era of U=U. Lancet HIV 2021; 8:e175-e180. [PMID: 33662266 DOI: 10.1016/s2352-3018(20)30341-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2020] [Revised: 12/05/2020] [Accepted: 12/10/2020] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
There is widespread unawareness and disbelief regarding the evidence-based conclusion that people who have a sustained undetectable HIV viral load cannot sexually transmit HIV-ie, undetectable=untransmittable (U=U). Long-standing, misguided fear about HIV transmission persists; consequently, so does the policing of sexual expression and the penalisation of pleasure faced by people with HIV. Many people with HIV with an undetectable viral load have unnecessarily abstained from condomless sex, avoided serodifferent partnering, and had anxiety about onward sexual transmission due to perceived HIV risk that is now known to be non-existent. Some health professionals have refrained from correcting this misinformation because of concerns that people with HIV will engage in more condomless sex or have more sexual partners upon learning of U=U. Withholding information about U=U is thus rooted in behavioural assumptions and is scientifically unfounded. Moreover, withholding such information violates medical ethics, perpetuates health inequities, and infringes on the sexual health and human rights of people with HIV. Health professionals and the broader public health community have an ethical responsibility to actively address misinformation about HIV transmission and disseminate the U=U message to all people.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah K Calabrese
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, and Department of Prevention and Community Health, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA.
| | - Kenneth H Mayer
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; The Fenway Institute, Fenway Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Julia L Marcus
- Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; The Fenway Institute, Fenway Health, Boston, MA, USA
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Phillips TR, Fairley CK, Chen MY, Bradshaw CS, Chow EPF. Risk factors for urethral gonorrhoea infection among heterosexual males in Melbourne, Australia: 2007-17. Sex Health 2020; 16:508-513. [PMID: 31203836 DOI: 10.1071/sh19027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2019] [Accepted: 04/01/2019] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Background Since 2014 there has been an increase in gonorrhoea among heterosexuals in Australia. Sex with a partner from a country with high gonorrhoea prevalence has been identified as a risk factor for gonorrhoea in heterosexual females, but risk factors for heterosexual males remain unclear. This study determined risk factors for gonorrhoea among heterosexual males. METHODS Retrospective analysis was performed among heterosexual males attending Melbourne Sexual Health Centre (MSHC) between 1 January 2007 and 31 December 2017. Countries for overseas sexual partners were stratified as high-prevalence countries (HPC) or low-prevalence countries (LPC) based on the incidence of gonorrhoea. RESULTS The annual gonorrhoea positivity increased from 0.72% in 2007 to 1.33% in 2017 (Ptrend <0.001). Males attending MSHC as a contact of gonorrhoea had the highest odds of testing positive (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 7.46; 95% confidence interval (CI) 4.46-12.49), followed by males identifying as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (aOR 2.57; 95% CI 1.30-5.09), males who had injected drugs in the past 12 months (aOR 2.44; 95% CI 1.39-4.30) and males who had sex with a female from an HPC (aOR 2.18; 95% CI 1.77-2.68). Males aged ≥35 were at higher risk than those aged ≤24 years (aOR 1.44; 95% CI 1.14-1.82). Gonorrhoea positivity increased among males who had sex with females from an LPC (from 0.60% to 1.33%; Ptrend = 0.004) but remained the same over time among males who had sex with females from an HPC (2.14%; Ptrend = 0.143). CONCLUSIONS There was an 80% increase in urethral gonorrhoea among heterosexual males between 2007 and 2017. Having sex with a female from an HPC is a significant risk factor for gonorrhoea. Gonorrhoea positivity among men having sex with a female from an HPC did not change over time, suggesting this risk factor has become less important.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiffany R Phillips
- Melbourne Sexual Health Centre, Alfred Health, 580 Swanston Street, Melbourne, Vic. 3053, Australia; and Central Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, 99 Commercial Road, Melbourne, Vic. 3004, Australia; and Corresponding author.
| | - Christopher K Fairley
- Melbourne Sexual Health Centre, Alfred Health, 580 Swanston Street, Melbourne, Vic. 3053, Australia; and Central Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, 99 Commercial Road, Melbourne, Vic. 3004, Australia
| | - Marcus Y Chen
- Melbourne Sexual Health Centre, Alfred Health, 580 Swanston Street, Melbourne, Vic. 3053, Australia; and Central Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, 99 Commercial Road, Melbourne, Vic. 3004, Australia
| | - Catriona S Bradshaw
- Melbourne Sexual Health Centre, Alfred Health, 580 Swanston Street, Melbourne, Vic. 3053, Australia; and Central Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, 99 Commercial Road, Melbourne, Vic. 3004, Australia
| | - Eric P F Chow
- Melbourne Sexual Health Centre, Alfred Health, 580 Swanston Street, Melbourne, Vic. 3053, Australia; and Central Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, 99 Commercial Road, Melbourne, Vic. 3004, Australia
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