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Saturday, May 19, 2012

HIV May Afflict Almost Half Asia-Pacific Transgenders: UN


Stigma, poor health care access, and high-risk sex are pushing up HIV infection rates among Asia-Pacific transgender women, the UN Development Program said Thursday. Some 9 million to 9.5 million transgender people live in the region, and they are “bearing the brunt of the HIV epidemic,” a new UNDP report says. “Scattered and often small-scale research” suggests that 49 percent of transgender women there could have HIV.

Disapproval at home and school leads many transgender youths to leave both, and scant economic opportunities mean many turn to sex work and have unprotected sex, according to the report. “Social exclusion, poverty, and HIV infection contribute to what we call a ‘stigma sickness slope’ - a downward spiral that is difficult to reverse,” said report author Sam Winter of Hong Kong University.

In positive developments, the report notes the emergence of a confident transgender identity and a greater willingness by transgenders to access mainstream services and engage in policy discussions.

[PNU editor’s note: For more information about the report, visit: http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/presscenter/pressreleases/2012/05/17/transgender-persons-are-lost-in-transition-on-human-rights-and-hiv-responses-says-new-asia-pacific-report/.]

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.

TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!