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"POZ Parties" Signal Potential to Spread HIV "Superinfection"
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Description
The emergence of "POZ Parties" - parties exclusively for HIV positive men to meet other HIV positive men for sex - signals the potential to spread HIV "superinfection," suggests research.
SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED INFECTIONS
An emerging HIV risk environment: a preliminary epidemiological profile of an MSM POZ Part in New York City Sex Transm Infect 2005; 81: 373-6
Newswise - The emergence of "POZ Parties" - parties exclusively for HIV positive men to meet other HIV positive men for sex - signals the potential to spread HIV "superinfection,"suggests research in Sexually Transmitted Infections.
POZ parties first emerged during the mid 1990s in New York City, initially as informal gatherings for HIV positive gay men, to which recruitment was largely by word of mouth.
They are now held several times a month, with information about venues posted on a website and emailed out to some 5000 people.
And the concept has spread to several other major cities across the USA, as well as to Canada, Australia, and Western Europe, say the authors.
The study involved a brief survey of a sample of 115 men attending one or more 10 POZ parties in New York during 2003.
Researchers found that those attending the parties were predominantly white and over the age of 30. Respondents had lived with HIV infection from as little as 2 months to 20 years since diagnosis.
Three quarters of the men said they had been to a POZ party before, suggesting that a substantial number were regular attenders. The men surveyed said that they had also used other venues to find sexual partners
The two most popular reasons for attending POZ parties were not having to broach the subject of HIV status with a new partner and a desire to have unprotected sex.
One in eight men said that not infecting someone else was the main reason for going to a POZ Party.
Unprotected sex with several partners over the course of an event was common. Almost two thirds said they had had receptive anal sex, while almost three quarters said they had had insertive anal sex.
Two thirds were taking antiretroviral drugs, and a third reported having had an additional sexually transmitted infection within the preceding year.
The researchers say that POZ parties have the potential to reduce the spread of HIV infection. But the risk of sexually transmitted infections remains a concern, particularly because the immune system response is already compromised in HIV infection.
But they point out that the mix of high rates of unprotected sex and the use of other environments for sex may help to spread treatment resistant strains of HIV infection.
An emerging HIV risk environment: a preliminary epidemiological profile of an MSM POZ Party in New York City
M C Clatts, L A Goldsamt, H Yi
Institute for International Research on Youth at Risk,
National Development and Research Institutes, Inc, 71
West 23rd Street, 4th Floor, New York, NY
Sex Transm Infect 2005;81:373-376
August 2005
ABSTRACT
Objective: To develop a preliminary epidemiological description of a men who have sex with men (MSM) ''POZ Party,'' an emerging sex environment for HIV+ MSM.
Methods: As part of a pilot study in New York City in 2003, data were collected using a brief, behavioural intercept survey at entry to POZ Party events. Domains include demographic characteristics, history of HIV infection, motivations for attending POZ parties, lifetime and recent exposure to drugs (including use
during POZ Party events), and recent sexual practices (both within both POZ Party venues as well as in non-POZ Party venues).
Results:
Predominantly white and over the age of 30, subjects in the sample include a broad range of years living with HIV infection. Motivations for using a POZ Party venue for sexual partnering include relief from burdens for serostatus disclosure, an interest in not infecting others, and opportunities for unprotected sexual exchange. High rates of unprotected sex with multiple partners are prevalent in the venue. Although the sample evidences high rates of lifetime exposure to illicit drugs, relatively little drug use was reported in these sexual environments. These reports are consistent with evidence from direct observation at the venues themselves, in which no drug use was apparent.
Conclusion: Serosorting among HIV+ MSM may reduce new HIV infections, a stated interest of both POZ Party organisers and participants alike. However, high rates of unprotected anal intercourse within these venues signal continued risk for STIs. Additionally, unprotected sexual contact with HIV partners and status unknown partners outside POZ Party venues heightens concern for diffusion of HIV superinfection.
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