More gay men opt for unprotected sex
The frequency at which gay men are having unprotected sex has almost tripled since 1994, a survey by Lausanne University researchers has found.
The Institute for Social and Preventative Medicine asked nearly 3,000 gay men about condom use and HIV testing. Of those, 24.2 per cent said they “never” or “every now and then” use a condom. That’s up from 8.9 per cent in 1994.
The “Gay Survey 2007” also found that one third of the respondents did not know whether their partners were HIV positive. One in six gay couples do not use condoms despite not having taken an HIV test.
The survey also showed that the majority of gay men still use condoms to protect themselves from HIV infections. However, infection rates among gay men have been accelerating since 2003.
There are now about 25,000 people living with HIV and Aids in Switzerland. Since the disease was first noticed in 1981, more than 5,700 people have died from it in Switzerland.
According to the Swiss Aids Federation, 60 per cent of infections among men are the result of sex with other men. For women, 83 per cent of infections come from sex with men.
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