can help curb spread of HIV
Men can play a key role in preventing HIV
infection worldwide, according to a report released by the United
Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) that marked the launch
of the year 2000 World AIDS Campaign.
Worldwide, men tend to have more sex partners than women do,
which not only increases their own risk of HIV, but also increases
the risk of infection of their primary partner, UNAIDS officials
point out. The stigma that surrounds HIV infection compounds
the problem, and men are often less likely to seek medical care
time is ripe to start seeing men not as some kind of problem,
but as part of the solution," Dr. Peter Piot, executive director
of UNAIDS, said in a statement. "Working with men to change
some of their attitudes and behaviors has enormous potential
to slow down the epidemic and to improve the lives of men themselves,
their families, and their partners."
The objective of the new UNAIDS campaign will be to get men
to participate more fully in national responses to the HIV epidemic,
according to the UNAIDS statement. The report "challenges harmful
concepts of masculinity and contends that changing many commonly
held attitudes and behaviors, including the way adult men look
on risk and sexuality and how boys are socialized to become
men, must be part of the effort to curb the AIDS epidemic."
All-male environments, such as the military, may reinforce risk
taking. Similarly, prison environments increase the rate of
sexual intercourse between men. Male violence -- through wars,
forced migration, and domestic violence -- also increases the
risk of HIV transmission.
often, it is seen as 'unmanly' to worry about avoiding drug-related
risks, or to bother with condoms," Piot continued. "These attitudes
seriously undermine AIDS prevention efforts."
HIV prevention efforts that involve men can work, however. For
instance, in parts of Africa, Central America and Asia, long-distance
truckers have practiced safe sex more consistently. HIV prevention
programs with army recruits have been successful in Thailand.
And in the US, a trend towards delayed sexual intercourse and
more consistent use of condoms has been seen in recent years.
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