Risk of Spreading HIV is Greater Outside Vaginal Sex. 11/10/10

Lyn's Comment: Please remember that CABSA does not agree with all news articles published.  The use of terminilogy in this article can be seen as discriminatory.

Some non-conventional methods such as anal sex are 10 times riskier than normal sex.

Nairobi — Many people assume vaginal sex is the only mode through which HIV/Aids and other sexually transmitted diseases are spread.

But experts warn that some non-conventional methods such as anal sex are 10 times riskier than normal sex. "The anus is not anatomically designed as a sex organ, and functions performed by the vagina cannot be performed by the anus. The lack of lubrication and rich blood supply in the rectum make it susceptible to rupturing easily and exposing partners to infection," says Francis Nyamibo a HIV/Aids expert with the Kenya Aids Control Project.

Dr Nyamibo adds that due to the lack of lubrication, partners assume they are safe and therefore avoid condoms, which exposes them further to infection. Anal sex can also lead to rectal incontinence, which is characterised by leaking stool, thereby compromising one's hygiene and eventually leading to social stigma.

Another common non-conventional method is oral sex. However, chances of HIV transmission through this mode are minimal. "Semen is a protein, and when swallowed it is digested just like other proteins. Unless one has sores in the mouth, the chances of HIV transmission are minimal," says Dr Nyamiobo.

According to Pius Mutie, a sociologist and lecturer at the University of Nairobi, our changing lifestyle as well as Westernisation contribute towards increased non-conventional sex.

"We are fast adapting foreign cultures, but unfortunately our society is not ready to accept that non-conventional modes of sex are here with us," he says. The 2008 Mode of Transmission survey reveals that about 15 per cent of all new HIV infections are transmitted by men who have sex with men.

The study also shows that 60 per cent of the men are in heterosexual relationships. The study was conducted by a consortium of institutions including the World Bank, United Nations Joint Programme on HIV/Aids (UNAids) and the National Aids Control Programme.

UNAids also estimates that at least 5-10 per cent of all HIV infections globally occur through male to male sexual activity. Activists have been at the forefront of lobbying the government to recognise non-conventional modes of sex, especially homosexuality as a public health concern, and not a moral, cultural or religious matter, if any gains in HIV/Aids prevention are to be achieved.

According to Gay and Lesbian Coalition of Kenya chairman David Kuria, hundreds of the organisation's members have married women due to societal stereotypes. "MSMs (men having sex with men) often live double lives; they still marry to avoid being ostracised by the society. This is likely to hamper efforts made towards HIV prevention if they are not involved," he says.

The Kenya Aids Indicator Survey 2007 notes that 65 per cent of MSM also have sex with women. The National Aids and STI Control Programme estimates that risky population segments such as gay men contribute up to one-third of the country's 90,000 new infections annually.

It is estimated that less than 5 per cent of MSMs have access to HIV prevention and care. However, despite the interventions being made, same sex activity remains a crime under Kenyan law.