The 80s are back in Asia – and not in a good way.
United Nations health officials warned this week that gay men in Asia are contracting HIV at about the same rate as American gay men did during the virus’ initial outbreak:
Launching his agency’s 2008 report on the global AIDS epidemic, Peter Piot, UNAIDS executive director, urged more action to prevent the spread of the disease among gay men who have unsafe sex and stressed the importance of working with affected communities.
“All over Asia there are now epidemics of HIV in men who have sex with men of the same magnitude that we saw in this country 25 years ago,” Piot said.
“That is something that has been detected fairly recently. There is not enough action yet but we are now starting programs,” he added.
Lack of funding and education, as well as unsafe sex, were cited as possible reasons for the frightening numbers.
Trenton
When I livd in Japan, I knew a LOT of guys who never used condoms. Their reasoning: most Japanese men don’t have STDs. (To be completely honst, a lot of them just said “Japanese men don’t have STDs” without even the benefit of a “most”)
The further tragedy is that, because it is so repressed, most of these guys are married and will probably spread it to their wives. Their sex-ed is pathetic (pretty much abstinence based with a token “wrap it up” thrown in for kicks, though Japanese condoms are pretty awful in general and most young people would honestly rather die than be seen purchasing them. Japanese families just don’t talk about that stuff. They generally don’t talk much at all. The kids certainly aren’t going to learn about it from Japanese erotica. :<
It’s ironic that in a culture where safety always comes first (you can’t even step onto an escalator without being told to keep your arms on the banister and to not open umbrellas while riding) people are so naive when it comes to safe sex. They are in for a world of hurt in coming years, but the government will not react until its much more of an epidemic, I’m sure. It’s sad when even the people I know who have worked in sex-trade in Southeast Asia and Hong Kong know better, and most of them were abandoned or orphaned and without a formal education.
But… Shikata nai na…
reversion
I just don’t get it. I’m so paranoid about these things that it’s hard to imagine people not using protection of some kind…a mixing of bodily fluids can transmit SOMETHING, gay or straight.