Sexual Practices, Partner Concurrency and High Rates of Sexually Transmissible Infections among Male Sex Workers in Three Cities in Vietnam

Results:
MSWs in Ho Chi Minh City (33%) were more likely than those from the other two sites to be current users of one or more types of illegal drugs (PPP=0.045) and elective female partners (P=0.025). At last sex with a male client partner, only 30% used a condom during anal intercourse. At last sex with an elective female partner, only 31% used a condom during vaginal sex and only 3% during anal sex. Although rates of HIV are low (4%), other STIs are high, including chlamydia (17%), gonorrhoea (29%) and human papillomavirus (33%). Most (57.3%) have never been tested for HIV and only 17% have ever disclosed to a healthcare provider that they have sex with men.

Conclusions:
Complex patterns of sexual concurrency, coupled with high rates of STIs, signal the urgent need for health services interventions among MSWs, both to improve individual health outcomes and to reduce secondary STI/HIV transmission among sexual partner networks.

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