Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections are occurring among HIV-negative gay men in London, investigators report in the “Journal of Viral Hepatitis.” Researchers at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital identified 44 cases of acute HCV infection among HIV-negative gay and other men who have sex with men (MSM) between January 2010 and May 2014. Almost all the men reported unprotected anal sex. There is also an HCV epidemic among HIV-positive gay men in London and many other cities in Western Europe and North America. These infections appear to be due to a combination of sexual risk factors (unprotected anal sex, fisting, co-infection with ulcerative STIs) and drug use behaviors (injecting and snorting). Sexual risk taking was highly prevalent. Almost all (93%) the patients reported unprotected anal sex, with 88% reporting both insertive and receptive unprotected anal sex. A quarter of patients told the investigators that they’d engaged in fisting.
The latest figures by the AIDS Epidemiology Group show that in 2014, 217 people were newly reported with HIV in New Zealand. When comparing the number with preceding years, this is higher than any year since 2008. Gay and bisexual men and other men who have sex with men (MSM) continue to be the most affected group. Of the 217 newly reported diagnoses, 136 (63%) were MSM. Eighty-six (86) of these men were infected in New Zealand compared to 69 in 2013; despite these figures, prevalence rate amongst MSM in New Zealand is one of the lowest in the world at 6.5%; amongst the general population in the US, excluding homosexuals, there is a 1.7% HIV prevalence. This is less than half that of Australia where MSM HIV prevalence is 14% (it is 24% in San Francisco and close to 20% in London).
The Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) announced that they have been investigating three confirmed cases of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) among men who have sex with men (MSM) in the Chicago area. IMD is a rare communicable bacterial disease that can cause meningitis, a severe disease of the brain and spinal cord, and other potentially fatal conditions.