Jamaica's Ministry of Health is yet to release a near one-year-old study it commissioned on the impact of men who have sex with men (MSMs) and HIV/AIDS.

Delegates at a Caribbean forum at the International AIDS Society (IAS) XVII International AIDS Conference were told Monday that the results of the survey have not been released because of the sensitivity of the subject.

Brian-Paul Welsh, a representative of the Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition, said the study of 201 MSMs in the Jamaican capital, Kingston, Ocho Rios in St Ann and Mandeville, Manchester, found that 31.8 per cent were HIV infected and 42.8 per cent did not know their status. The participants in the study done last November ranged in ages 15-29.

According to Welsh, the study reported that 28.8 per cent of the men had a female partner in the past 12 months and 15.9 per cent were living with a female partner. At least 33.8 per cent had more than two female partners in the past 12 months.

The study also showed 13.9 per cent were forced to have sex with other men, while 14.9 per cent were victims of physical violence.

"What is striking is the number of persons who have never been tested," he said.

He said those who never got tested blamed this on the lack of faith in public health services as well as the fear of disclosing that they were homosexuals.

Welsh said he got information about the survey because of his 'connections', but was unable to say what Jamaica's Ministry of Health would be doing with the findings.

"The ministry understands the sensitivity of the matter and they try to see how to pass the information on not only to MSMs, but the general population," he said.

Meanwhile, regional programme advisor of the UNAIDS Caribbean Regional Support team, Dr Michel de Groulard, said the Caribbean was still having 20,000 new HIV infections each year among the 15 to 24 age group, which suggested that more should be done to lessen the transmission of HIV among young people.

"All we have been talking about prevention is clearly not enough and so we have to look at details in terms of what is happening with sexuality of young people," he said.

He said it was important for the region to look at all aspects of sexuality and understand what it meant to be young and sexually attracted, regardless of sexual orientation.

Dr Groulard, who was at the Caribbean forum to discuss comprehensive strategies for mitigating challenges facing marginalised youth in the Caribbean, said that in Jamaica the HIV prevalence rate of 1.5 per cent continued to be higher than the Caribbean average.

"Jamaica is still not at a satisfactory level and so prevention efforts need to be strengthened," he said.

In the meantime, Peter Piot, the executive director of UNAIDS, has urged countries in the Caribbean to abolish their anti-sodomy laws, even if it was being done only for public health reasons.

He said if the region can decide to have a Caribbean Court of Justice to replace the Privy Council in London, it could repeal its colonial laws such as those which make homosexuality criminal.

"I would appeal to leaders in the Caribbean to show leadership to abolish colonial regulations which cost people's lives and result in persons going underground," he said.

He said those countries which make homosexuality legal were doing much better in prevention of the deadly HIV/AIDS disease.

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