93% of gay and bisexual men living with HIV are accessing HIV treatment, but additional strategies are needed to engage low-income and non-white men.
What are the key study findings?
- Despite a high prevalence of HIV among gbMSM (23.4%), a small proportion of HIV-positive study participants (18.6%) had unsuppressed viral load (≥200 copies/ml), which is indicative of risk of onward transmission.
- Only 2% of the HIV-positive participants were not aware of their HIV infection (meaning they were undiagnosed).
- 81.4% of HIV-positive men achieved virological suppression—exceeding the UNAIDS target of 90-90-90, which would result 73% of HIV-positive people having suppressed viral loads by 2020.
- HIV-positive men with unsuppressed viral loads are more likely to report risky sexual behaviour and to use gamma hydroxybutyrate (GHB) and/or crystal methamphetamine than HIV-positive men with suppressed viral loads. These factors have been shown to increase risk of HIV transmission.
- Men with unsuppressed viral load are more likely to have low incomes and identify as being from an ethnic minority group, indicating the importance of continued work to address health inequity and social determinants of health.