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| Edited By: Rishi Banerji |Source: DNA |Updated: Dec 01, 2011, 03:15 PM IST
In Surat, the percentage of the gay community infected with HIV has doubled since last year, say doctors and researchers.
The primary cause for this is physical - practice of anal sex. Another reason is that a majority of the gays are unaware of the disease and its complications. Lakshya Trust in Surat alone has more than 5,000 members, while more than 200 gays are registered with the ART (Anti Retroviral Treatment) centre in New Civil Hospital. Similar registration figures can be seen at GNSP+ in SMIMER Hospital and a few other trusts working in the city.
"Most gay men resort to anal sex, which is unnatural for their bodies. Due to this cracks develop near the area. As the skin is hard, blood and other bodu fluids escape from these cracks. During copulation, these fluids are exposed to the other person's and thus the virus spreads. A homosexual man is five times more likely to get infected than a lesbian woman," said ART centre doctor, Alap Mehta.
He added that last year, 160 homosexual men came to ART centre for treatment, while this year over 300 have registered so far.
Surat tops the state with the maximum number of HIV infected people. There are more than 22,000 sex workers and over 8,000 registered homosexuals in the city. Populations living in shanties, ghettos and low-cost localities are rapidly being infected by the deadly disease, said Mehta.
NGOs estimate that there are more than 30,000-40,000 gays in the city, but very few are registered with them due to lack of awareness. Unmarried men as well as men, who have families living away from the city, are more likely to become homosexuals.
"A majority of the gays don't have knowledge of this disease and treatment modules. In some cases, gays voluntarily maintain unsafe sexual relations with infected people. Besides, they also indulge in sex with multiple partners, which increases chances of HIV and AIDS," a counsellor at Lakshya Trust said.
The counsellor added that a majority of homosexuals are aged between 21-35, who work or live together.
