An in-depth study into the sexual behaviour of homosexual men
here is under way.
Entitled Sex In The City: A Health Study, the survey initiated
by Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) also aims to determine the
prevalence of syphilis and HIV infection among homosexuals.
Surveys on the gay community have been done before by
organisations such as advocacy group Action for Aids (AfA) and gay
lifestyle portal Fridae.com, but those did not combine a blood test
with questions on sexual habits.
A principal researcher of this study, TTSH consultant Mark Chen,
explained that overseas data has shown that gay men are more at
risk of syphilis and HIV, the virus that causes Aids, but this has
not been proven conclusively here.
-- ST