Want to know what gay and bisexual men get up to in bed? Or how often we cruise online, use sex toys, get into kink or have group sex?

The Anova Health Institute, the lead organisation addressing HIV among gay men and other men who have sex with men (MSM) in South Africa, welcomes the announcement of exciting developments regarding HIV prevention at the 2015 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections. The conference is currently taking place in Seattle, Washington

Despite being the shortest month of the year, February can be a testy month for many of us. This is because, if you’re single, the 14th of February can seem like a hungry mosquito whose imminent and no doubt aggravating arrival cannot be stopped.  Valentine’s Day practically spits glitter into the single gay man’s eye.

An aggressive new strain of HIV has been identified, scientists have warned.
A new study found the strain, called CRF19, is capable of transforming from an infection to full-blown aids within just three years.
That is considerably faster than the average conversion time of around 10 years - and can be so quick that a person may not even realise they are infected.

Researchers from two primate studies reached conclusions that quarterly injected PrEP (four times a year) may one day become a reality for humans.

Today, HIV infections are completely treatable thanks to antiretroviral medication. Only problem is these drugs must be taken on a regular basis for them to remain effective, and for many HIV-positive individuals throughout the world, this simply isn’t possible. A new antiretroviral drug called cabotegravir, however, may solve this widespread problem, since it only requires injection once every three months.

Researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center are testing a new oral vaccine to prevent infection with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. The vaccine is unique because it is given as a pill, unlike most HIV vaccines tested to date that have been given as shots.

Luring dormant HIV out of hiding and destroying its last cure-defying holdouts has become the holy grail of HIV eradication, but several recent attempts to do so have failed. Now the findings of a Johns Hopkins-led study reveal why that is and offer a strategy that could form a blueprint for a therapeutic vaccine to eradicate lingering virus from the body.

Adults who are HIV-positive are more likely to experience hearing loss than adults who do not have HIV, according to research published online December 26 in JAMA-Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery. Researchers report that adults with HIV were more likely to experience difficulty hearing both high and low tones, regardless of the severity of HIV disease progression or the use of and adherence to HIV medications. Funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the new findings expand upon earlier research that has suggested an increased risk of hearing loss in adults with HIV.

Circumcision is a controversial topic.  Pros and cons exist for men who are cut, and men who are not.  In 2007, I decided to get cut.  I had a number of reasons, amongst them that I prefer the way cut dicks look, personal hygiene, and that I’d heard that I would have 60% less chance of contracting HIV, should I ever have unprotected sex. 

Men who have sex with men (MSM) living in East Africa, where homophobia is on the rise, now have access to a unique website, Afya4Men.info, which contains comprehensive sexual health information targeted to their specific needs.

Come December 1, 2014, millions worldwide will be flaunting a red ribbon of some sort. It’s amazing to see how the iconic simple red ribbon has evolved since the first World AIDS Day in 1998, becoming more and more creative with each year. There are mosaics, quilts, tattoos, even ribbons written in the clouds. Gotta love Pinterest, until they suspend your account for pinning an “inappropriate” pic (in my defense it was the hottest naked man I’d seen in a long time; a sleeping beau with bulging biceps and virility that covered one third of the screen that made me swallow involuntarily…pure art has that effect on me).

The world has five years to increase access to HIV treatment and prevention to end HIV as a global health threat – and prevent the pandemic from resurging, according to the latest global HIV report released last night.

The equivalent of nine gay men received a positive HIV diagnosis every day in 2013

There is good news for HIV-positive men who are in the majority of those who suffer from low testosterone.

Almost half of the men who have sex with men in Durban are HIV infected and about a quarter of such men in Johannesburg and Cape Town have HIV, according to a Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) study that was released on Tuesday.

Lance Feeney discusses how gay men can decrease the chance of developing anal cancer.

It is a little over a year since the Positive Life NSW President Malcolm Leech died of anal cancer and I’ve been thinking of him and his commitment to the myriad of health and social issues faced by peoples’ living with HIV. I’ve come to realise that we need to avert other deaths from anal cancer in gay men and people with HIV.

HIV advocates and researchers admit that many people do not use condoms. Now there are revolutionary new ways of preventing HIV infection including taking a pill day.

Presented by the Global Forum on MSM & HIV (MSMGF) in partnership with Anova Health Institute and Mainline, this webinar focuses on drug use and harm reduction among men who have sex with men (MSM). The webinar is intended for a global audience of community-based organizations and healthcare providers who serve MSM but who may not have expertise in harm reduction programming.

Health4Men, a project of the Anova Health Institute at the forefront of promoting access to competent health services for men who have sex with men (MSM) throughout South Africa, has extended their use of cellular phone technology to reach their target group.

Kenworth Spar (Rocklands) - Bloemfontein
31st October 2014
09h00 -  14h30

A new $7 million grant for the Anova Health Institute’s Health4Men project to address HIV in South Africa’s gay, bisexual and MSM (men who have sex with men) community has been announced in both Washington and Johannesburg. This significant international funding boost to expand MSM-targeted HIV-related services in South Africa is the result of a new partnership between the Elton John AIDS Foundation and the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).

In partnership with Anova Health Institute and Mainline, the Global Forum on MSM & HIV (MSMGF) presents a webinar on drug use and harm reduction among men who have sex with men (MSM). The webinar is intended for a global audience of community-based organizations and healthcare providers who serve MSM but who may not have expertise in harm reduction programming.

On October 10, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a new once-daily combination pill for the treatment of genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C containing Gilead Sciences’ HCV nucleotide polymerase inhibitor sofosbuvir (Sovaldi) plus ledipasvir, the first approved HCV NS5A inhibitor.

It was going to be a quick trip to the supermarket. I didn’t even want to go in the first place but I had visitors from Cape Town and they wanted breakfast. Luckily it was early and I got parking right by the entrance of the mall. I zipped through the aisles grabbing the necessary and as I swept a two-litre bottle of milk off the shelf an Adonis checking out the nutritional info on the side of a milk carton stopped me in my tracks.

Use of prescription erectile dysfunction (ED) medication was significantly associated with sexual risk behavior in HIV-positive men, according to data presented at IDWeek 2014 by Greer Burkholder, MD, of the Infectious Diseases Department, University of Alabama at Birmingham.

To help address the HIV epidemic among young members of key populations, the United Nations Interagency Working Group on Key Populations has produced a series of technical briefs focused on the needs and realities of young men who have sex with men, young people who sell sex, young people who use drugs, and young transgender people.

Two new studies indicate differences in treatment among racial groups.

Shortly before my 28th birthday, I discovered that a friend of mine was HIV positive.  He wasn’t a very close friend, but I knew him quite well and it came as a shock to me because he was well educated, intelligent and financially established in the world, and I believed that people like him did not get HIV.  I couldn’t understand how someone like that could be “dumb” enough to have unprotected sex.  In the nineties almost every gay movie I could get my hands on was about gay men struggling with HIV or AIDS.  How could he not have known to wear a condom?  It was constantly drummed into us.

HIV drugs which only need to be taken once a month are to be developed at the University of Liverpool in a bid to overcome the problem of ‘pill fatigue’.

Using patients’ genetic material to help attack their particular version of HIV.

ViiV Healthcare’s single-tablet regimen Triumeq won Food and Drug Administration approval on August 22, 2014. Triumeq is the first FDA-approved single-tablet regimen (STR) that does not contain tenofovir (Viread), a widely used antiretroviral drug linked with bone and kidney problems in some susceptible HIV-positive individuals.

A meta-analysis of HIV patients in China shows strong relationship between didanosine-based treatments and increase in drug resistance.

A World Health Organisation (WHO) working group has called for the scrapping of so-called “homosexuality-related psychological disorders”.

With PEPFAR planning to shift about $100 million in HIV funding from South Africa to poorer countries, the New York Times reports, the country will face stern challenges in maintaining its AIDS effort.

Tivicay, the recently approved HIV integrase inhibitor — a class of antiretroviral drug that is designed to block a virus from entering the DNA of a host cell — demonstrated high rates of viral suppression in a recent study. Significantly, Tivicay is also proven effective for people who are resistant to HIV antiretroviral drugs, according to NAM.

Be heard! Share your experiences and be counted in this global survey on the health and human rights of gay men and other men who have sex with men (MSM)!

Health4Men, a project of the Anova Health Institute that addresses sexual health and HIV among men who have sex with men (MSM), congratulates sexual minority activists in Uganda for successfully challenging and getting overturned the country’s homophobic ‘Anti-Homosexuality Act’. As widely reported, this draconian Act not only resulted in a dramatic increase in persecution of sexual minorities within Uganda, it also severely limited the ability of HIV health organisations to function within the country.

A number of groups had attended to oppose the bill, which criminalized “homosexual touch,” punished R#8220;promotion of homosexuality,” criminalized renting housing to gay people. I was there with the Civil Society Coalition for Human Rights and Constitutional Law, discussing public health implications of HIV preven­tion and care, citing research from Uganda. Earlier, the Uganda Human Rights Com­mission had offered objections to the bill. Colleagues weighed in on legal grounds, and UNAIDS Country Representative, Mr. Musa Bungudu, reminded everyone of Uganda’s huge HIV burden.

Fifteen years ago, MIT professor John Essigmann and colleagues from the University of Washington had a novel idea for an HIV drug. They thought if they could induce the virus to mutate uncontrollably, they could force it to weaken and eventually die out — a strategy that our immune system uses against many viruses.

The widely used antiretroviral drug efavirenz was not linked with neurocognitive impairment in a study reported this week at AIDS 2014. Efavirenz (Sustiva, also part of the popular Atripla combo pill) has been associated with a variety of neuropsychiatric symptoms ranging from vivid dreams to depression, but whether the drug contributes to neurocognitive impairment (NCI) has been debated.

New treatment schedules for pregnant women and other patients are set to bring South Africa in line with the World Health Organisation’s guidelines.

The Mississippi baby, in remission for over two years, recently experienced HIV rebound. This low – if it can be called that – shouldn’t dampen our hopes for a cure

The 20th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2014) will be held from 20-25 July 2014 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, in Melbourne, Australia.

It represents a tremendous opportunity to highlight the diverse nature of the Asia Pacific region’s HIV epidemic and the unique responses to it.

As homophobic discrimination continues to sweep across the African continent, we should be acutely mindful of the diverse ways it harms societies. While we are most aware of the direct effect of homophobic physical violence on sexual minority groups, it is also crucial that we are cognisant of the other insidious and multifaceted ways in which stigma and discrimination impact not just on sexual minorities but also on society at large.

Data presented today at the International AIDS Conference in Melbourne and published simultaneously in the Lancet provides the first clear evidence for who wants PrEP—and how they use it outside of the United States.

No one who took Truvada PrEP at least four times per week acquired HIV in the iPrEx Open Label Extension (iPrEx OLE) demonstration project, according to data presented today at the AIDS 2014 conference in Melbourne. These new data support PrEP as a valuable HIV prevention option even when adherence may be less than 100%.

“Adherence has to be good, not great,” said iPrEx protocol chair Robert Grant, MD, MPH, of the Gladstone Institutes, the University of California at San Francisco, and San Francisco AIDS Foundation, in his late-breaker presentation of the study results.

The technique addresses the problem of hidden reservoirs of HIV in the body, and could herald a new way of battling the viral infection

AIDS researchers and policymakers from around the globe are gathering in Melbourne, Australia, for a major international conference that starts this Monday. They’ll be mourning dozens of colleagues who died in the crash of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17.

But the work of the conference will continue, and one of the major topics to be discussed is expanding the use of a pill that prevents HIV.

A new study of German gay men finds that those who discuss HIV before sex are much less likely to acquire the virus and also finds that HIV has a tendency to transmit during the first six months of a relationship, aidsmap reports. Publishing their findings in BMC Public Health, researchers studied 105 gay men with recently diagnosed HIV and compared them with 105 HIV-negative controls, collecting the data between 2008 and 2010.

A condom that can kill the HIV virus and designed by a bio-tech firm in Australia is set to hit stores within the next few months.

One of the studies that looked at the efficiency of a new three-drug combination, which included ABT450, Ritonavir and an NS5A inhibitor, found 97 per cent of patients had no trace of Hepatitis C twelve weeks after treatment.

South Africa’s Anova Health Institute is deeply saddened by the news that more than 100 AIDS researchers, activists and health workers, who were en route to attend the 20th International AIDS Conference taking place in Melbourne, Australia, were on board the Malaysian Airlines MH17 flight that crashed over Ukraine yesterday. Anova sends condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of those who have been lost to this tragedy.

At the last International AIDS Conference in 2012, Paul Semugoma, M.D., delivered a rousing speech about the rights of LGBT and HIV-positive people in Africa. It was also at this moment that he decided to publicly come out as a gay man. This year at AIDS 2014, Dr Semugoma will stand again before the assembled crowd to accept the Elizabeth Taylor Human Rights Award in recognition of his accomplishments as a leader and advocate for human rights in the field of HIV/AIDS.

One of my favourite sitcom quotes comes from Will & Grace when Karen tries to coax Jack into sleeping with Beverly (Lesley Jordan) for money.  “Oh you’ll do it. You’ll do it the same way any self-respecting woman does. Get on your back, point your heels to Jesus and think of handbags.”

Ten years after South Africa began providing free HIV treatment, a generation of children born with HIV continues to come of age with the virus. One young Mpumalanga man shares his story.

Giant tactical installations in South African cities with thousands of condoms spelling out the names of the most common sexually transmitted infections (STIs), is an innovative way through which the USAID-funded Anova’s Health4Men initiative is spreading the message of STI prevention.

While many HIV prevention interventions have traditionally been delivered face-to-face, a study from Columbia University School of Nursing suggests that digital outreach efforts delivered via text messages, interactive games, chat rooms, and social networks may be an effective way to reach at-risk younger men.

On June 18th, the MSMGF and ANOVA Health Institute presented a webinar on lessons learned from the Health4Men state-sector sexual health program targeting men who have sex with men (MSM) in South Africa. This successful program has now provided care to more than 8000 MSM in 4 provinces across the country and is being extended nationally. The project spans both urban and rural settings with diverse operational requirements

(Medical Xpress)—Yuet Wai Kan of the University of California, San Francisco and colleagues have created HIV-resistant white blood cells by editing the genomes of induced pluripotent stem cells. The researchers inserted genes with a mutation that confers resistance to HIV into stem cells. White blood cells grown from these stem cells were HIV resistant. The research appears in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is supporting 11 condom designs with grants of $100,000 each to improve user experience, according to a foundation statement. The grants are funded through its Grand Challenges Explorations initiative, which supports innovative ideas to tackle key global health and development problems.

Scientists have identified a new way to reactivate latent HIV, which could help overcome one of the biggest obstacles to finding a cure for the deadly virus. Researchers at the Gladstone Institutes found that increasing the random activity, or noise, associated with HIV gene expression – without increasing the average level of gene expression – can reactivate latent HIV.

Using advanced tools to probe B-cell responses to HIV and other pathogens in the laboratory, the researchers found that the B cells that make antibodies to HIV in infected, untreated people are abnormal in that they are more activated, unstable and unresponsive to further stimulation than normal B cells, and also are infrequently observed in healthy people. This finding may help explain why HIV-specific antibodies naturally produced by HIV-infected people do not clear the infection, according to the scientists.

Out of 90 vaccine attempts, only 5 vaccine candidates were worthy of progressing to phase two or phase three human efficacy trials, and of those five, only two vaccines continue in clinical trials today — one in this country and one in South Africa. But we can’t stop now.

New research from the University of Cambridge has now made it possible to reduce a person’s daily medication needs down to only two semiannual injections. This twice-per-year drug delivery system would not only be much more convenient for people suffering from conditions like diabetes and HIV/AIDS, but might also increase people’s long-term adherence to their prescribed drug regimens.

The first direct proof of a long-suspected cause of multiple HIV-related health complications was recently obtained by a team led by the University of Pittsburgh Center for Vaccine Research (CVR). The study also found that a non-HIV drug may help address the problem.

Adolescents and young people (AYA) aged 12 – 24 in Africa and Asia are more likely to be adherent to antiretroviral therapy (ART) than their counterparts in North America and Europe, according to research published in AIDS this week. The study points to the fact that the HIV epidemics in North America and Europe are concentrated among key populations who are often marginalised from society, meaning they are hidden and have inadequate access to HIV services, such as treatment.

Adolescents and young people (AYA) aged 12 – 24 in Africa and Asia are more likely to be adherent to antiretroviral therapy (ART) than their counterparts in North America and Europe, according to research published in AIDS this week. The study points to the fact that the HIV epidemics in North America and Europe are concentrated among key populations who are often marginalised from society, meaning they are hidden and have inadequate access to HIV services, such as treatment.

I have been fascinated with open relationships for more than 10 years.  Africa is not traditionally monogamous and is no stranger to polyamory (loving more than one person at a time). Our own ‘prez’ has 4 wives and has been married six times.  Initially I believed open relationships to be wrong, dangerous and not for me…

With the upscaling of South Africa’s HIV treatment programme necessitating task-shifting and the decentralisation of the South African healthcare system, nurses have become the backbone of public health, with most healthcare service centres being run entirely by nurses, with the support of visiting doctors.

To mark International Nurses Day on 12 May 2014, Anova is celebrating its nurses, and the work it does with nurses in the public health sector through its Health Systems Strengthening activities.

Sound science takes time. As Richard Jefferys of Treatment Action Group explained in a recent webinar, “HIV Cure Research—Getting Past the Media Hype,” a number of clinical trials are underway in the quest for an HIV cure, but none of the interventions currently under study are expected to cure people of HIV. Rather, those studies provide essential information to get cure science to “the next round” of development, said Jefferys.
Jefferys and webinar co-host David Evans, director of research advocacy at Project Inform and community advisory board member with the Delaney AIDS Research Enterprise, unpacked the concept of “cure,” outlined the types of cure currently under study, and highlighted key questions at the heart of cure research today.

HIV patients may soon get help from an unlikely source: a molecule used to enhance the flavors of soy sauce.

HIV infection is associated with an increased risk of melanoma, according to the results of a meta-analysis published in PLOS ONE. Overall, people living with HIV had a 26% increase in their relative risk of melanoma compared to the general population, the risk increasing by 50% for white-skinned people with HIV. The increased risk was statistically significant in white-skinned people diagnosed with HIV and of borderline statistical significance for all people diagnosed with HIV.

A team of scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) working with the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) has discovered a new vulnerable site on the HIV virus. The newly identified site can be attacked by antibodies in a way that neutralizes a wide variety of HIV strains.

Tenofovir used as a single agent for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) may be as effective as the Truvada (tenofovir/emtricitabine) coformulation for preventing HIV infection, which, if confirmed, could have implications for cost and access worldwide.

In Africa, both HIV and HPV are most frequently transmitted through sexual contact.  Although much attention is paid to the AIDS epidemic in Africa, HPV-related cancers, particularly in people with HIV, can be as fatal as AIDS.

Here’s a look at some of the HIV cure headlines over the past couple months. The ever-growing momentum towards a cure, particularly funding for cure initiatives, is encouraging.

It’s the Truvada conundrum: A drug hailed as a lifesaver for many people infected by HIV is at the heart of a rancorous debate among gay men, AIDS activists and health professionals over its potential for protecting uninfected men who engage in gay sex without using condoms.

Health4Men’s approach to homophobia and men who have sex with men (MSM)

An almost entirely unreported study about anal sex and pain shows how little we really know about it

For people living with HIV, effective antiretroviral therapy (ART) not only suppresses the virus and protects immune system health but has the added benefit of reducing the risk of transmitting HIV to sex partners. This side benefit, known as “treatment as prevention,” has been established by recent studies with mixed-HIV-status couples.

For people living with HIV, effective antiretroviral therapy (ART) not only suppresses the virus and protects immune system health but has the added benefit of reducing the risk of transmitting HIV to sex partners. This side benefit, known as “treatment as prevention,” has been established by recent studies with mixed-HIV-status couples.

Prior to the act being amended, there were no laws in place to deal with new narcotics created by modifying a substance’s chemical structure, or finding chemicals with entirely different chemical structures that produced similar effects.

Stats released by the Human Sciences Research Council today show we are still deep in the trenches of HIV in South Africa. There are positive stories and the Minister’s promise to improve government-issued condoms is welcome. At DTHF we are advancing methods of HIV prevention and finding ways to initiate behaviour change especially among youth. This is no time for complacency or ‘HIV fatigue’, this is a campaign we have to win.

To have a meaningful conversation about HIV status, people should corner intentions and sexual partners in the realm of actuality, by keeping it to-the-point and asking the following questions: “When did you last test for HIV? What was the test result?” Equally important is to open minds to reality by remembering that the time of binary HIV statuses is pretty much over.
I can count five HIV statuses, plus a new one. They entail different responsibilities, possibilities and risks.

Researchers at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health have found that an injection of antiretroviral drugs can give 100 percent protection from HIV.
Monkeys were injected with the drugs in two separate trials, with protection lasting a month. However, research suggests that such an injection could last for up to three months, reports the New York Times.

When we talk about stigma and PrEP, the question we should be asking is, “Just what is it we are ashamed of?” Is it the sex? The gay sex? Or is it the realization that gay men find pleasure and fulfillment in anal sex and fluid exchange?

[kat-fish] verb:
Posting incorrect information online in order to create a falsely positive perception of yourself.  *Wikipedia

A recent study of people with HIV who use recreational drugs isn’t good news for tweakers: those who used crystal meth showed troubling blood test results as compared to those who used other drugs.

A Seattle study has found that about 40 percent of HIV-negative gay men restrict their sexual partners to those they perceive to share their serostatus in an attempt to prevent acquiring the virus, aidsmap reports.

Taking tenofovir/emtricitabine (Truvada) as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) has little effect on kidney function, according to a study recently published in AIDS. The study, known as IPrEx (Iniciativa Profilaxis Pre-Exposicion), showed a very mild decrease in creatinine clearance (CrCl)—a measure of kidney function—among participants taking Truvada, but the change was reversible, as CrCl returned to baseline levels after the drug was discontinued at the end of the study.

The new technique uses genetic modification of cells — not drugs — to treat HIV.

Lack of health insurance, incarceration and partner choice all implicated as causes

BOSTON — Researchers are reporting that injections of long-lasting AIDS drugs protected monkeys for weeks against infection, a finding that could lead to a major breakthrough in preventing the disease in humans.

A team of UCLA researchers have found that Twitter as well as other real-time social media tools can be extremely useful in tracking outbreaks of HIV and drug use

Among the many issues being discussed by the scientists, providers, and advocates gathered at the…

Viral load suppression means risk of HIV transmission is ‘at most’ 4% during anal sex, but final results not due till 2017

BOSTON — Researchers are reporting that injections of long-lasting AIDS drugs protected monkeys for weeks against infection, a finding that could lead to a major breakthrough in preventing the disease in humans.

The battle against Uganda’s anti-homosexual law is not over. Health and HIV may be the new frontier to confront homophobia explains Dr Andrew Tucker.

Today’s signing of the Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality Bill by their President Yoweri Museveni represents a dark and tragic event in Africa’s history.
Innocent people’s freedom and lives are now in danger based purely on their sexuality.
The Anova Health Institute joins the international outcry against the Bill.

Paul Semugoma is free and can live and work in South Africa. This followed a dramatic day of court action and negotiations between lawyers representing Semugoma and the Department of Home Affairs.

New development!

Human rights organisations worldwide are appealing to Minister Naledi Pandor and the Department of Home Affairs to immediately comply with a court order instructing that Ugandan doctor Paul Nsubuga Semugoma must be released from detention.

Immigration officials at OR Tambo International Airport have ignored an order delivered on Tuesday night by the South Gauteng High Court halting the imminent deportation of Dr Semugoma as well as ordering his release from custody.

Dr Paul Nsubuga Semugoma, a Ugandan medical doctor and human rights activist, has been under arrest for the past 48 hours and is facing the threat of deportation to his country of birth.
A group of South African human rights organisations are urgently attempting to halt his deportation as Paul is “wanted” in Uganda for his activism around lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) issues in his country.

A low CD4 cell count is associated with increased mortality risk, even if people are taking virologically effective HIV therapy, an international team of investigators report in the online edition of Clinical Infectious Diseases. People with incomplete CD4 count recovery – a count below 200 cells/mm3 – despite three years of treatment with virologic suppression had a more than two-fold increase in their mortality risk compared to people with more robust immune reconstitution.

Lots of activities lined up for the day!
Netball, soccer, aerobics, dance or maybe just socialising!

Lubricants have an unquestionably sensual function: to make sex feel better. People use a wide variety of substances to increase their pleasure during sex and to eliminate pain. In the global response to HIV among MSM, lubricants also serve an important function in the prevention of HIV transmission. Appropriate lubrication reduces the likelihood of condoms tearing and it reduces physical damage to the rectal lining during anal sex. But proper lubrication is in short supply globally, and we know little about the effect of lubricants on the rectal lining.

Marijuana has long been used to effectively treat symptoms associated with HIV, such as chronic pain and weight loss. But a growing body of research suggests the plant may be able to stop the spread of the disease itself.

‘Tis the season for Oscar bait, and this year, “Dallas Buyers Club” looks set to get at least a few nominations. The movie stars Matthew McConaughey as Ron Woodroof, a Dallas man who contracts HIV in 1985, when the diagnosis was a death sentence.
After responding poorly to AZT, the first drug approved to treat HIV/AIDS, Woodroof began acquiring unapproved medications from Mexico, Japan and other places around the world, and formed the titular “buyers club” to distribute them to other people in his area, whether the Food and Drug Administration liked it or not

University of California (at Los Angeles AIDS Institute) researchers tested CD4 cells from healthy human donors to evaluate the rate of HIV infection alongside the presence of cocaine.  And surprisingly, the white powered is not friendly to HIV-prevention.

Several smartphone applications (apps) designed to help men who have sex with men (MSM) find casual sexual partners have appeared on the market recently. Apps of this nature have the potential to impact sexual health and behavior by providing constant access to a large supply of available partners.

In reaction to the recent passing of anti-gay legislation in Nigeria the Anova Health Institute NPC expresses alarm and trepidation at the resultant human rights consequences ensuing from such actions. Health4Men, a project of the Anova Health Institute NPC, is gravely concerned by developments in Nigeria regarding the wide-spread impact on the progress made in the fight against HIV in those countries and elsewhere in Africa.

Men with penile human papillomavirus (HPV) infection have an increased risk of acquiring HIV, investigators report in the online edition of AIDS. This increase in risk was irrespective of circumcision status.

“Our results indicate that HPV infection is an important risk factor for HIV acquisition in men that needs to be explored further and accounted for in HIV-prevention studies,” comment the authors.

Female condoms are not just for the ladies as some gay men in KaMsogwaba Township outside Nelspruit have found, but nearby clinic nurses are still not sold on the idea.
While not originally designed for use in anal sex, female condoms can be used by men who have sex with men (MSM) during sex in lieu of traditional male condoms.

Health4Men's Dr.Kevin Rebe speaks about MSM in South Africa on e-tv  http://www.enca.com/media/video/webvideomsm20am

To some, rimming is not even a fetish; rather it is a regular part of their sexual practise.  But if this occurs as commonly as social media and popular porn-sites would have us believe, then what are the risks of being a “rimmer” or a “rim-ee”?

ICASA is the largest international AIDS conference taking place in Africa and this year South Africa was selected to host the 17th ICASA which took place at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) from 7 – 11 December, 2013.

With funding from PEPFAR through USAID, Health4Men has been establishing MSM competent services in Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West, Gauteng and the Western Cape since 20008. Reaching more and more people, Health4Men has just received an additional grant from the Global Fund which will allow them to extend their specialised services into KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape, Free State and the Northern Cape. Professor James McIntyre, CEO of the Anova Health Institute,  says: “This significant development will allow for an integrated and co-ordinated national response to HIV among MSM in South Africa.”

An opportunity for policy makers, service providers and lobbyists to engage with current trends related to the provision of MSM-focused competent services.

What do shebeens (township taverns frequented by local residents in township areas) have in common with World Aids Day? Health4Men’s third Shebeen/Tavern challenge!
It is that time of the year again and this year there will be 8 shebeens participating from Khayelitsha and Gugulethu and 5 from Soweto.

“The time has come for you to lip sync for your LIFE!”

A deep kiss is a complex olfactory exchange of chemicals, hormones and proteins and a way for us to gauge how virile, or even what state of health our potential partners may be in because mucous membranes inside the mouth are permeable to hormones such as testosterone, which our clever bodies can detect. Subconsciously we build a profile on the person that we are kissing as we analyse the chemicals in their mouth in our own oral laboratory.

Health4Men will be at Soweto Pride on Saturday, 28 September 2013.

We will be providing free HIV screening and counselling or ask us for complimentary lube and condoms.

Michael Lucas comes out as HIV-negative, sexually active man on PReP

Mmapaseka “Steve” Letsike is the chairperson of the Civil Society Forum of the South African National AIDS Council (‘SANAC’) and is also the Advocacy and Training Manager for the NGO—Anova Health Institute. The Civil Society Forum was established in 2012 to strengthen the civil society sector’s participation within SANAC through the leadership and constituencies of 17 Civil Society Sectors.

The conference will take place on 30 July 2013 and will bring together renowned speakers in this field and will focus on current topics pertaining to men who have sex with men.

South Africa’s National Strategic Plan (2012-2016) highlights the need for policy development related to so-called ‘key populations’ which include men who have sex with men (MSM), sex workers and people who inject drugs, in order to ensure that our responses to the HIV pandemic are inclusive of these populations.

New study reveals exceptionally high HIV prevalence among men who have sex with men in Mpumalanga, indicating an urgent need to improve services.

According to the Mpumalanga Men’s Study, gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (MSM) in Mpumalanga are among the hardest hit by the HIV epidemic. HIV prevalence may be up to 30% among this high-risk group with large numbers of new infections occurring in the last 12 months.

Gonorrhoea, a sexually transmitted infection also referred to as “the drop” or “the clap”, is known to increase the risk of HIV transmission. With growing resistance to antibiotics, effective screening and treatment of gonorrhoea is becoming a priority among high-risk groups like men who have sex with men.

Concern is mounting that resistance is now developing to the antibiotic cefixime recommended by the South African Department of Health for treating gonococcal urethritis.

It’s such a taboo topic that some doctors and nurses are uncomfortable talking about it. But it is practiced by both straight and gay couples, and children, and has huge health risks, especially when it is shrouded in silence.

Until now, state-funded ARV treatment has comprised three different pills taken at different times during the day. The new FDA combines the three key agents from these pills in a single pill that only needs to be taken once a day.
Although welcoming the FDAs as easier and more convenient for patients, activists and health professionals alike have warned that a stockout of the drug could have a catastrophic effect on the country’s public HIV/AIDS treatment programme - the largest of its kind in the world.

The goodwill ambassador for UNAIDS, Michael Ballack has decided to use the platform of his official Farewell Game, which will be held in Germany on 5 June to raise funds and awareness on HIV and AIDS. The game will be internationally televised.

We are very happy to announce a new member to the Health4Men team. Hilary Twiggs has been appointed as a Health4Men Training Coordinator. Hilary has been a lecturer in nursing science at Stellenbosch University; she has very significant skills in terms of both training and nurse mentoring. She will be based at the Green Point office and will coordinate all training in the Western Cape, in addition to consulting for Health4Men’s training and mentoring programme nationally.

The Senate Heath Education and Pensions Committee in the USA have approved the HOPE Act, also known as the HIV Organ Policy Equity Act. The act would lift the federal ban on transplanting HIV positive organs to HIV positive recipients.

Health4Men will be at The Rec Room on 25 April 2013 for the monthly HCT service from 18:00 to 21:00.

Health4Men is hosting this Oscar nominated film at the Out In Africa film festival which is taking place 12 to 21 April. “How To Survive A Plague” was nominated for Best Documentary at the 2013 Academy Awards and was nominated for and won numerous other awards.

Save this date for Anova’s third annual Top2Btm MSM Symposium!
“Keeping Up: What’s trending with MSM?”
23 April 2013 @ Crowne Plaza Hotel, Rosebank

Please diarise the following dates for the Health4Men Support Group Meetings up to August!

One in 10 South African men have been forced into sex by another man, according to a 2009 Medical Research Coun­cil study conducted among men between the ages of 18 and 49 in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.

Visit Health4Men at Cape Town Pride 2013 - Saturday, 2 March

New support group in Johannesburg for gay and bi men living with HIV. Then a reminder that there are free support groups also available in Cape Town.

In the field of sexual health, harm reduction is often closely associated with the use of recreational drugs. We certainly can’t stop people from using street drugs and instead of moralising about it and making drug users feel alienated, we need to implement programmes designed to mitigate the harm associated with this behaviour. Such harm reduction programmes are certainly not new – their importance is recognised by international bodies such as the WHO, UNAIDS and USAID – but they’re certainly new to South Africa. Health4Men, a project of the Anova Health Institute, already at the forefront of providing innovative free sexual health services for gay and bisexual men, has initiated an innovative harm reduction programme in Cape Town.

A new gene therapy could make a person’s CD4+ cells resistant to HIV—a method that, if successful, would eliminate the need for antiretroviral drugs for those living with HIV, according to a new study conducted by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

Bacterial pneumonia is one of the commonest and most serious infections occurring in people infected with HIV.

Michael Ballack, star of the German national soccer team and a range of top teams from Kaiserslautern to Chelsea, visited the Health4Men clinic on Friday 18 January, just hours after landing at O R Tambo airport. Riaan Norval reports.

Everyone knows life doesn’t stop at 45, yet many people assume that sex does.

Never judge a cock by its feathers

The documentary How to Survive a Plague, chronicling American gay activists’ response to the early days of the HIV epidemic, has been nominated for Best Documentary at the 85th Academy Awards.

On 6 December 2012,  Princess Stephanie of Monaco visited various HIV/Aids organisations in Cape Town, including Health4Men, as part of her duties as a UN Aids Goodwill Ambassador.

What do shebeens (township taverns frequented by local residents in township areas) have in common with World Aids Day? Plenty, according to the outreach staff at Health4Men, a project of the Anova Health Institute that provides free sexual healthcare to men to have sex with men (MSM) in South Africa.

Health4Men, a project of the Anova Health Institute, expresses grave concern and foreboding regarding developments in Uganda pertaining to the ongoing persecution of gay people, and the criminalisation of homosexuality in that country. 

The Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality Bill appropriately referred to as the Kill the Gays Bill in the media, is due for a second reading in Uganda’s parliament within days. This is happening within the context of the Speaker of that parliament, Rebecca Kadaga, stating that the bill will definitely be passed and describing it as a “Christmas gift” to Ugandans.  It is ironic that the bill which allows for the death penalty on the grounds of sexual orientation was initially submitted by a fundamentalist Christian MP who was reportedly influenced by the irrational anti-gay views for a group of American Christian extremists.

Exciting news for gay, bisexual and straight men who have sex with men (MSM) in South Africa: Competent health services for MSM are being expanded in five provinces. This has been made possible by a significant five-year grant awarded to the Anova Health Institute by the United States President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (PEPFAR), through USAID.

Labelling others is easy. Treat others the way you want to be treated.

Please note that all Health4Men clinical sites will remain operational on working days over the festive season.

The Anova Health Institute, Health4Men’s parent body, has been awarded a significant five-year grant by the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), via USAID.

Health4Men has developed a brand new, comprehensive series of fact sheets specifically designed for MSM (men who have sex with men) and addresses sexual health. A total of 11 different fact sheets will soon be available. Watch this space for more details.

November is Red Ribbon Month. The Health4Men outreach team in Cape Town will be hosting three events in the lead up to World Aids Day on 1 December 2012.

SOUTH African scientists have discovered how some people can make potent antibodies capable of neutralising strains of HIV, taking researchers a step closer to developing a vaccine.

To get the latest trending news and information from Health4Men, follow us on Twitter.

Three pride events are lined up in September through to early October.

Health4Men will be attending all three pride calendar dates and MSM (men who have sex with men) will be able to get sexual health information from trained professionals, free lube and condoms and also make use of the free HIV screening (with counseling)  services at all three events.

Starting on September 1st, the National Female Condom Coalition is counting down to the first ever Global Female Condom Day which will be on 12 September.

Read more about this global movement and find out how female condoms apply to MSM (men who have sex with men) and their sexual health.

We all make countless assumptions every day. We assume that in the morning the kettle and toaster will do their jobs, that the car will start or that our train will arrive at the station. We make assumptions about our partners, our family members, our colleagues and our friends, and about strangers. Our assumptions about our environment and the people around us are often based on nothing more than irrational notions, concepts, beliefs and attitudes which are very rarely based on fact.
Read more.

The AIDS Priorities symposium focusing on MSM will be held in

Cape Town on the 20 & 21 August 2012 at the Vineyard Hotel and Conference Centre

WASHINGTON — Three studies presented Thursday at a major world conference on AIDS show new ways that scientists are striving toward a cure for the three-decade-old disease.

One study focused on a group of 12 patients in France who began treatment on antiretroviral drugs within 10 weeks of becoming infected with human immunodeficiency virus, but then stopped the therapy.

The HIV virus stayed away for a median of six years in the group, known as the Visconti Cohort, which stands for “Virological and Immunological Studies in CONtrollers after Treatment Interruption.”

Read more

Please assist us by taking part in this anonymous online survey.

The AIDS Priorities symposium focusing on MSM will be held in Cape Town on 20 & 21 August 2012 at the Vineyard Hotel and Conference Centre.

The latest milestone in the 30-year battle against HIV, is Monday’s approval of Truvada®  by the American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the prevention of HIV transmission. Truvada®  is the first anti-retroviral (ARV) drug to gain approval as a preventive measure for healthy HIV negative people who are at high risk of acquiring HIV through sexual activity, such as those who have HIV-infected partners.

Health4Men will be hosting the fabulous film “The Skinny”, in both Cape Town and Johannesburg at the festival.
Please come and support OUT IN AFRICA and Health4Men.
(CT & JHB Schedule below)

Have you experienced intimate partner violence? Do you have a story to tell? This is a call for participants for a masters research project. The study is looking for gay men above the age of 18 who have experienced violence in a past relationship with another man. All information is treated in the strictest of confidence. Please email: research@yolan.co.za

KAMPALA - Uganda said on Wednesday it was banning 38 non-governmental organisations it accuses of promoting homosexuality and recruiting children.

Health4Men is conducting an online survey on recreational drug use among gay and bisexual men. The organisation has received Dutch funding specifically to develop harm-reduction services for men who use recreational drugs.

South African guidelines for the preventative use of HIV medication by men who have sex with men who are not infected with the virus are to be published in the peer-reviewed academic publication, Southern African Journal of HIV Medicine, this month.

The treatment, pre-exposure prophylaxis (Prep), consists of an antiretroviral (ARV) pill that is taken daily by HIV-negative people to lower their chances of becoming infected with the virus.

Health4Men, a project of the Anova Health Institute, expresses outrage at the murder of a gay man in Kuruman, in Northern Cape province. Thapelo Makutle, a volunteer with a local gay organisation was gruesomely beheaded on Sunday 10 June after being confronted about his sexuality by his attackers.

This is clearly a hate crime on the basis of sexual identity and an extreme example of the ongoing prejudice and violence perpetuated against gay men in South Africa.

We are all familiar with Uganda’s atrocious stance towards homosexuality, with repeated calls by that government to extend the death sentence to men who have sex with men. Health4Men was invited to train a group of healthcare workers, including doctors and nurses, to provide competent services for such men.

While consistent use of condoms remain your best defence against HIV and other sexually transmitted infection (STIs), evidence has emerged that some water-based lubricants may be harmful to your rectum. This applies equally to top-of-the-range, expensive imported brands and locally manufactured lubricants. 

These findings emerged when researchers trying to develop rectal microbicides started poking around and asking questions about the effects of sexual lubricants on the mucosal lining of the rectum

The Mail & Gaurdian has reported the latest findings on the street drug crystal methamhpetamine, known as tik, which increases the chance of men who have sex with men to contract HIV by 400%, according to a US study.

The Global Forum on MSM and HIV (MSMGF) is sounding the alarm on the unprecedented HIV crisis facing gay men, other men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender people around the world.

In India, the HIV epidemic is seriously affecting men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgendered people. Among this population, 427 000 (in 2010) are considered at higher risk because they have multiple sex partners and many receive money in exchange for sex.

Men who have sex with men (MSM) can now access specialised health care at the Yeoville clinic in central Johannesburg, including free and confidential HIV and STI screening and free treatment for men who test positive.

“The new Health4Men site is a significant development for all men who have sex with men residing in Johannesburg who have been unable to access to appropriate services within the public sector,” explains Prof James McIntyre, Executive Director of the Anova Health Institute. “Now these men have a space where they feel welcome and can be honest about their sexuality when interacting with medical staff.”

During May Health4Men erected a prominent billboard (3x6 meters) at the site C taxi rank in Khayelitsha, adjacent to Health4Men’s Khayeltisha Men’s Clinic.
Read more to see the final product.

For many people, travel is an important aspect of life. Some choose to benefit from the positive quality-of-life effects which come from participating in leisure travel. Others have to stay in foreign countries for long periods due to personal or professional reasons. It is important to know what your rights are and also if you might be faced with difficulty entering another country due to an HIV+ status.

Co-infection with hepatitis C increases the risk of death for patients with AIDS by 50%, according to the results of a large study published in the online edition of Clinical Infectious Diseases. A fifth of these deaths were attributable to liver-related causes, five times the rate seen in people with AIDS who were not co-infected.

The investigators also found that a third of co-infected patients were unaware of their hepatitis C infection.

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) would be an acceptable HIV prevention strategy for large numbers of gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men in major UK cities, according to two studies presented to the British HIV Association (BHIVA) conference in Birmingham this week.

A large study looking at HIV infections in gay men who are within long-term relationships with HIV-positive partners is about to start in Australia, the International Microbicides Conference in Sydney heard last week.

Even in the era of HIV and STIs imprinted in our consciousness it is surprising to learn how few people continue to practice oral sex without a second thought of possible health concerns.

Some guys don’t even view oral sex as ‘sex’ while others don’t see it as having potential health consequences. Although the risk of contracting HIV through oral sex is very low you should be careful. If you have a small cut, a blister or a sore in or around your mouth. Besides HIV, oral sex can result in the transmission of herpes, gonorrhoea, syphilis, hepatitis and (yes!) even genital warts. So what can you do to limit your risks of infection?

Health notice to all gay and bi men in Cape Town: INCREASED SYPHILIS GOING AROUND! Health4Men has placed notices in all gay clubs and bars in the gay village area and provides free screenings plus treatment

On 30 March 2012, Health4Men ambassadors and peer educators in Cape Town visited the Ekuphumleni Frail and Aged Care Centre in Gugulethu,NY1. These Health4Men representatives, offered their services for free to this community based centre. Over 35 MSM participated, in support of this initiative by performing various duties for Ekuphumleni.

Health4Men attended the City of Cape Town’s Sport, Recreation and Amenities Department when it officially opened the Khayelitsha Oliver Tambo Indoor Sport Centre on Wednesday, 21 March 2012. The facility serves as a recreation hub for the local community.

In a victory both moral and diplomatic, South Africa took the lead this week during the first debate at the United Nations on the rights of sexual minorities.

MEN who have sex with men (MSM) can now get specialised sexual health services at Soweto’s Zola Clinic. 

The Anova Health Institute’s Health4Men initiative launched the service at the clinic on 6 March 2012

Health4Men were active participants again at the annual Cape Town Pride march that took place on 3 March 2012. The March took place on Somerset Road between Napier and Liddle.

WikiQueer, a gay, bi and trans online encyclopaedia has launched publicly this week.

The wiki site began collating content after its soft-launch last year and has now gone live.

Backers of a new service which asks online dating site users to opt-in to receive updates from former partners who are diagnosed with sexually transmitted infections have welcomed the take-up among the gay community.

Recreational drug use can make people more likely to be infected by HIV. Also, for people taking antiretroviral medications (ARVs) to fight HIV, there can be some serious interactions between drugs and ARVs. These interactions can lead to under- or overdoses of ARVs or recreational drugs. Some of these may be fatal.

Health4Men Cape Town’s outreach team and peer educators, recently promoted the Ukwazana campaign on trains running between Cape Town and Khayelitsha.

South Africa has the fourth-highest burden of TB (tuberculosis) in the world and also has the largest number of drug-resistant TB cases reported worldwide. Another big problem in South Africa is the high prevalence rate of TB and HIV co-infection. HIV seriously affects the immune system which escalates the risk of contracting TB.

The month of March is ‘TB Awareness Month’  - Read further and get more information on what you need to know about Tuberculosis

A local health orientated website reports that anal cancer rates are higher among people infected with HIV, according to new data published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.

The highest rates of anal cancer were found in HIV-positive men who have sex with men (MSM), but rates of anal cancer among HIV-positive men and women in general were also higher than rates in the general population.

Dr Kevin Rebe, the Specialist Medical Consultant at Ivan Tom’s Health4Men in Cape Town, comments on this article.

ZIMBABWE’S President Robert Mugabe at the weekend told British Prime Minister David Cameron “to hell with you” over the prime minister’s call to respect gay rights.

 
SOME KIND OF INSANITY: Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe listens to speeches during his birthday rally in Mutare about, 26km east of the capital Harare. Mugabe turned 88 last Tuesday. PHOTO: REUTERS
Cameron said at the Commonwealth summit last year that countries receiving British aid should respect human rights, including gay rights.

STI/Condom Week proved to be a very busy and productive week for Health4Men in both Gauteng and Western Cape.

Numerous events were scheduled in Khayelitsha, Soweto and other locations over the period 12-18 February 2012. Community events in Cape Town took place in association with the City of Cape Town Health Department, the Western Cape Department of Health and other non-profit organisations and included Site C taxi rank (Khayelitsha),  Khayelitsha Mall and Kuyasa Men’s Clinic. Events included HIV testing drives, educational talks on sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and condom distribution.

In Johannesburg, Health4Men took part in the Healthy Lifestyle Exhibition that was organized by the University of Johannesburg Campus Health Centre and Health4Men also went back to the Rec Room on Valentine’s Day for our monthly HCT service visit.

In the wake of local actress Lesego Motsepe’s astonishing public announcement, a column in Tuesday’s (14 February 2012) The Times questions the value of using celeb power as a driver of causes and campaigns.

Human papillomavirus (also known as HPV or simply genital / anal warts) is the diarrhoea of sexually transmitted infections. It’s the most common of all STIs, yet gets the least press. Nobody wears coloured ribbons in aid of it or makes Oscar-winning movies about its victims. In fact, nobody even likes to talk about it, as I recently discovered at a dinner party when I mentioned that I was being treated for the virus. The conversation spluttered and jerked, then ground to a complete halt. I reckon I would have received a warmer response if I’d admitted that I shagged goats or was converting to Mormonism. 

The Constitution of South Africa protects the rights of people living with HIV. It doesn’t allow discrimination and protects people’s right to privacy and confidentiality. In South Africa, there aren’t any laws that force people to tell others about their HIV status. People who do test positive should tell their partner, so that they can be protected and also have an HIV test. People with HIV/AIDS in South Africa are protected by the Bill of Rights and have the same rights which protect all citizens.

Health4Men had a very busy and successful 2011. With the new year already on the move, we highlight a few key accomplishments during 2011.

Take a peek at what Health4Men has lined up for February!
•Latest developments include two new clinical sites for gay and bisexual men, in central Johannesburg and Soweto, supported by PEPFAR through USAID. 
•A naughty surprise for the ‘Get REDi for love’ Valentine’s Day campaign.
•Health4Men in Cape Town is initiating a recreational drug-related harm reduction campaign.

Health4Men is an innovative project of the Anova Health Institute (www.anovahealth.co.za) addressing MSM’s diverse sexual health needs through free medical and psychosocial services specifically designed for gay, bisexual and straight-identifying men who have sex with men.

Check out our services, extended hours, support groups, training courses and more nearest to you.

On World AIDS Day 2011, Health4Men set a challenge to the taverns and shebeens that Health4Men gives support to.  The challenge was to compete against each other, decorating their venues to commemorate World AIDS Day and bring about HIV awareness in their communities.

Health4Men’s ground-breaking mobi site provides access to important sexual health information specifically for MSM who may not have access to the Internet.

Positive response to black condoms: another innovative safer sex initiative by Health4Men.

Kevin Rebe talking Health4Men on Radio 2000 (97.2-100 FM nationwide) 5 December 2011 @ 19:30.

Heroin addict, cocaine addict, crystal methamphetamine (tik) addict, drug dealer, teenage prostitute, porn actor, HIV-positive by 15, TV star. You name it, Zack Smit has pretty much been there, done that.

Working up the courage to discuss your sex life openly with a nurse or doctor at a hospital is challenging at the best of times. For men who have sex with men and transgender women, it’s simply too tough to contemplate…

Nigeria’s senate voted on Tuesday to criminalise gay marriage, instituting prison terms of more than a decade for violations in a nation where gays and lesbians already face discrimination and abuse.

The rest of South Africa is always of the opinion that Cape Town is the slow city. Check out what Health4Men in Cape Town is doing on World AIDS Day! Think again and come show your support!

Until recently, African MSM have been under-researched and under-resourced, and this has contributed to their stigmatisation. Fortunately this deficiency has been recognised locally and a number of innovative programmes have been developed to address this.

Who’s doing what to whom and how often!

Positively Alive has a new home!

The first Health4Men and Rec Room collaboration was a success. How did people react to HIV sreening in a gay sauna?

Currently, South Africa has a six-month gap between sex and donation.

H4M IN THE NEWS: Today’s edition of The Star featured extensive comment from Anova’s Dr. Michael Laurino who talked about unprotected sex and STIs.

Health4Men’s Dr. Oscar Radebe has spoken out on the benefits of regular HIV-testing in popular gay magazine Exit.

Health4Men’s Ukwazana project held a sports day with a difference in Khayelitsha last Saturday. In an effort to eradicate stigma and discrimination against homosexuals, Health4Men hosted sports matches where gay, straight and bisexual people teamed up to play netball, soccer and volleyball.

An article which appeared in the South African Journal of Psychology reports on how narratives in the Daily Sun tabloid which provide models of manhood could hobble HIV prevention.

HEALTH4MEN IN THE NEWS: Health4Men’s Dr. Michael Laurino explains the details of post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) in a health-e article. The story is based on a study which found that PEP treatment is below par in the Limpopo and North West provinces.

HEALTH4MEN IN THE NEWS: PlusNews has published an online article on the WHO’s new HIV prevention and treatment guidelines for men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender people. The piece includes comment from key players in the area of MSM specific healthcare. Health4Men’s Dr. Kevin Rebe was among those who shared their opinions on the organisation’s guidelines.

HEALTH4MEN IN THE NEWS: Anova’s Health4Men initiative has been mentioned in an article on the IRIN/PlusNews website, which looks at the plight of male sex workers in Africa.

During the 5th South African AIDS Conference, held in Durban over the period of 7-10 June 2011, Anova Health Institute under the banner of Health4Men presented on the lessons learnt from these initiatives. This also includes developments in prevention, treatment and care, plus research and training of healthcare workers. 

The Simon Nkoli Centre for Men’s Health has once again been featured in the Mail&Guardian’s health supplement. The article takes on quite the personal approach as it tackles the issue of race relations and the ability to access treatment for those not falling within the vicinity of the men’s clinic. The article was written by Mia Malan and comes across as somewhat of a narrative piece relating the trials and tribulations of seeking treatment.

HEALTH4MEN IN THE NEWS: Anova doctors were consulted on the effects of the mismanagement of HIV treatment in the private sector in an article which appeared in this week’s Mail & Guardian.

HEALTH4MEN RELATED NEWS: A Health-e article reports that mental health and HIV were established as key items on the MSM agenda at Anova’s Top2Btm symposium which ran for three days in Cape Town last week.

HEALTH4MEN IN THE NEWS:Three years ago John Qwelane published a column featuring an illustration which depicted a goat and a man being united in holy matrimony. The column compared homosexuality to bestiality, claiming that allowing gay marriage meant that South African society was only a short step away from allowing human’s to marry animals.

Jon Qwelane was found guilty of hate speech by the Johannesburg Equality Court today after the former Sunday Sun columnist penned an article titled “Call me names, but gay is NOT okay”.

HEALTH4MEN IN THE NEWS: An article which appeared on the Plus News and African Press International websites, features comment on research which was presented at Anova’s Top2Btm symposium in Cape Town last week. Health4Men’s Glenn de Swardt was among those quoted.

The next installment of the National Strategic Plan (NSP) on HIV and AIDS is said to be more inclusive of the needs of the MSM community in South Africa. Health-e news service has highlighted these issues in a recent article posted on their website. The article takes a look at the importance of the Top2Btm Conference, held in Cape Town just over a week ago and the impact which relaying this kind of information has on the MSM community in general.

The Top2Btm AIDS Priorities Conference has once again put MSM in the spotlight with an article published by Health-e journalist Khopotso Bodibe.

The article takes a look at the current and pressing issues of MSM trying to access health care and the negative effects that this has on the basic health care of such a marginalised group.

“Nothing I hate like homosexuals, the founders of AIDS!” “If they burn with sex desire why can’t they quench it with a woman?” These comments and more greeted an article posted on The Sowetan Live website. The story has attracted a considerable amount of negative comment, even though it was only jettisoned into cyberspace 45 minutes ago.

Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi’s scheduled appearance at Anova’s Top2Btm Symposium in Cape Town caused waves last week. An article in the Mail&Guardian argues that the minister’s presence at the MSM and HIV focused symposium, while commendable, could re-stigmatise men who have sex with men.

Effectively responding to the high prevalence of HIV among men who have sex with men (MSM) in South Africa requires more research.

This was the call of numerous speakers at the second day of the Top2Btm symposium where researchers, medical professionals and policy makers met to discuss treatment, prevention and care of HIV for MSM. The symposium is based in Cape Town and hosted by the Anova Health Institute with support from PEPFAR.

Speaking on behalf of Minister Aaron Motsoaledi at Monday evening’s opening of the Top2Btm symposium in Cape Town, Dr. Yogan Pillay, Chief Director of Strategic Planning at the National Department of Health emphasised the need for an HIV strategy that is “much more nuanced and targeted.”

The Minister was due to open the three day symposium dedicated to the sexual health of men who have sex with men (MSM), but was unable to attend and sent Pillay in his stead.

Reading the Minister’s speech, Pillay noted: “Even though the Strategic Plan mentions men who have sex with men, we certainly haven’t done enough to protect this group”.

The Top2Btm Symposium, which is coordinated by Anova, is the subject of an article from the online health related news provider Health-e. The symposium which opened in Cape Town yesterday, focuses on various issues relating to MSM and HIV.

The article places the symposium in context through recalling the days when HIV was initially and erroneously labeled a ‘gay disease’ and consequently given the name GRID (Gay Related Immune Deficiency).

Anova features prominently in an article in The Star that reports the findings of a PHRU and USCF collaborative study of men who have sex with men and HIV prevalence in Soweto.

The article features commentary from Anova’s executive director James McIntyre and David Motswagae of the Simon Nkoli Centre for Men’s Health. Based at the Chris Hani Baragwanth Hospital, the Simon Nkoli Center is run by Health4Men, a project of the Anova Health Institute that specialises in providing sexual healthcare for men who have sex with men.

HEALTH4MEN IN THE NEWS:An article in the Mail&Guardian (May 13-19 2011) by Yngve Sjolund takes a look at high prevalence rates of HIV positive MSM and gay black men in the Soweto township, with emphasis on Anova’s Health4Men project. 

The controversial bill that includes a provision for the execution of homosexuals is being reviewed by the Ugandan parliament this week and may be voted into legislation shortly.

Health4Men, a project of the Anova Health Institute, have established Africa’s first public sector clinics dedicated to the sexual health needs of men who have sex with men - irrespective of whether they identify as gay or straight. Through its clinics in Cape Town, Soweto, Pretoria and Mafikeng, Health4Men personnel offer comprehensive HIV and sexual health care for all MSM and have built a sound reputation providing training and technical support to the public health system.

FEATURE: Yngve Sjolund of CD4 Magazine and consultant for HIV/AIDS NGOs in writing and and editing research around HIV takes a look at the work and progress done by the Health4Men Simon Nkoli Centre for Mens Health Clinic in Soweto.

Support Us Health4Men is a non-profit organisation, supported by PEPFAR and USAID. We are a…

Health4Men is a project of the Anova Health Institute, funded by USAID and PEPFAR, and…

Our highly skilled team has been purposely selected based on their professional skill, experience in…

We would like to introduce you to Steve Letsike who has taken the role of Training Manager for Health4Men.
Plans are under way to commence training of healthcare workers in various provinces - Mpumalanga, Soweto and Bellville and Paarl in the Western Cape - to mention but a few.

Health4Men is an innovative project addressing men’s diverse sexual health needs through free medical and…

 Our medical services include HIV and STI related services. HIV-related services: Screening: We provide free…

Health4Men have launched an innovative new campaign that caters to men who have sex with men in townships in the Cape Town area. This comes in reaction to survey results indicating that up to one third of men who have sex with men may be HIV positive.

Health4Men has established itself as the premier centre of expertise for gay men’s sexual health in South Africa.

PRESS RELEASE: Health4Men, a project of the Anova Health Institute and sponsored by USAID/PEPFAR, joins the international outcry in strongly condemning this act of brutality. Kato, an outspoken member of Sexual Minorities Uganda, was amongst the group of gay men whose identities were made public late last year in the extremist newspaper The Rolling Stone.

The Health4Men office in Green Point has moved to a more spacious venue. Still located within the “gay precinct”, the new address is as follows: 1st Floor, 24 Napier Street, Green Point (directly above Anatoli restaurant, just past Crew Bar).