Prevalence and correlates of HIV among men who have sex with men in Tijuana, Mexico.

Abstract

INTRODUCTION:

Men who have sex with men (MSM) in developing countries such as Mexico have received relatively little research attention. In Tijuana, Mexico, a border city experiencing a dynamic HIV epidemic, data on MSM are over a decade old. Our aims were to estimate the prevalence and examine correlates of HIV infection among MSM in this city.

METHODS:

We conducted a cross-sectional study of 191 MSM recruited through respondent-driven sampling (RDS) in 2012. Biological males over the age of 18 who resided in Tijuana and reported sex with a male in the past year were included. Participants underwent interviewer-administered surveys and rapid tests for HIV and syphilis with confirmation.

RESULTS:

A total of 33 MSM tested positive for HIV, yielding an RDS-adjusted estimated 20% prevalence. Of those who tested positive, 89% were previously unaware of their HIV status. An estimated 36% (95% CI: 26.4-46.5) had been tested for HIV in the past year, and 30% (95% CI: 19.0-40.0) were estimated to have ever used methamphetamine. Independent correlates of being infected with HIV were methamphetamine use (odds ratio [OR] = 2.24, p = 0.045, 95% CI: 1.02, 4.92) and active syphilis infection (OR = 4.33, p = 0.01, 95% CI: 1.42, 13.19).

CONCLUSIONS:

Our data indicate that MSM are a key sub-population in Tijuana at higher risk for HIV. Tijuana would also appear to have the highest proportion among upper-middle-income countries of HIV-positive MSM who are unknowingly infected. More HIV prevention research on MSM is urgently needed in Tijuana.

• Authors: Eileen V Pitpitan, David Goodman-Meza, Jose Luis Burgos, Daniela Abramovitz, Claudia V Chavarin, Karla Torres, Steffanie A Strathdee, Thomas L Patterson
• Journal: Journal of the International AIDS Society (J Int AIDS Soc) Vol. 18 Pg. 19304 ( 2015) ISSN: 1758-2652 [Electronic] Switzerland
• PMID: 25669423 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Topics

• Adolescent
• Adult
• Aged
• Cross-Sectional Studies
• HIV Infections (epidemiology)
• Homosexuality, Male
• Humans
• Male
• Mexico (epidemiology)
• Middle Aged
• Prevalence