Men's Health Study: A Cross Sectional Study of HIV among Men Who Have Sex with Men in Kisumu, Kenya

In Kisumu, Kenya a cross-sectional study was implemented to sample men who have sex with men (MSM) to determine the prevalence of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among them and to identify demographic and behavioral factors associated with HIV infection. Due to the highly stigmatized nature of same sex activity in Kenya, a sampling technique efficient at identifying members of hard to reach populations called respondent driven sampling (RDS) was employed. The enrolled men completed a behavioral questionnaire and underwent rapid HIV testing and subsequent STI testing. Adjusting for sampling design, HIV prevalence was 11%, twice as high as the Kenyan national prevalence among men, but comparable to sexually active men in Kisumu, Kenya. Controlling for age, ethnicity and highest educational attainment, prevalent Herpes Simplex Virus 2 (HSV-2) infection, past history of genital ulcerative disease and unprotected vaginal intercourse at last sex with a woman were factors strongly associated with prevalent HIV infection.