 Rachel Cook
Gay men will be tested for HIV in Melbourne’s venues
beginning in mid-June.
As part of a new study called the Suck it
and See - HIV Prevalence Study, researchers from the Burnet Institute aim to
determine the numbers of HIV-positive gay men in Melbourne.
Researchers will recruit participants in clubs, bars, sex clubs, saunas and
clinics.
“Data will be gathered via an acrylic stick
which will take a saliva sample and researchers will also ask those taking part
to complete a survey,” Dr Mark Stoové, head of HIV/STI research at the Burnet Institute told
MCV.
“The entire process is expected to take no more than five minutes.”
Stoové said the study is
anonymous and participants will not be told the results of their test, but the
research will provide vital information for planning future responses to HIV.
“The study will give us
additional information to the self-reporting data we have,” he said.
“It’s not to say we don’t trust self reporting, but
some gay men are very vigilant in their testing and some are more irregular. They
might not have been tested for two years and they may have become infected in
that time.”
Stoové hopes future Victorian campaigns for HIV will be comparable to
those in NSW.
“In NSW the campaigns are much more consistent
and have a greater intensity. In Victoria
there hasn’t been an intensive campaign for quite a while.
“Only the recent increase in HIV figures
has prompted the Victorian government to act.”
The study begins Queens Birthday weekend
and runs for one week.
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