Gates Foundation Awards $1 Million for HIV Prevention Initiative

April 5, 2010, Press Release — The Global Forum on MSM & HIV (MSMGF) has received US$ 1 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to evaluate the HIV prevention capacity of regional networks of gay men and other men who have sex with men (MSM) and their service providers. The funding will support global survey research to assess prevention needs and priorities among gay men and other MSM worldwide, followed by tailored educational and advocacy efforts informed by survey results.

The new initiative comes at a time when researchers developing new HIV prevention technologies like Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) and rectal microbicides are anticipating the results of important efficacy trials. Should these technologies prove to be effective, they would become part of a growing body of evidence-based prevention tools targeting MSM. The urgency of implementing these tools effectively is clearer than ever, with MSM now shown to be 19 times more likely to be infected with HIV than the general population in low- and middle-income countries.

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