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STD & HIV/AIDS 2018: Sexually transmitted infections in gender and sexual minorities in Pakistan - Komal Sabir - Aga Khan University Hospital, Pakistan

Komal Sabir

Gender and sexual minorities are a group of population that is often being stigmatized and marginalized in this heteronormative society based on their different sexual identity, orientation and practices. In result, they often face discrimination and rejection which deprived them from human rights and in this course, put them at risk of Sexually Transmitted Infection (STIs). This paper aims to highlight South Asian and local health burden of sexually transmitted infections in this population mainly focusing on transgender, men who have sex with men and street children of low and middle-income countries. This paper used descriptive study design in which data was triangulated using systematic review and secondary data analysis of Parwaz Male Health Society using universal sampling strategy with n=9307. For systemic review, studies regarding STIs among GSM (Gender and Sexual Minorities) published from January 1, 2007 to January 15, 2018 were taken using Google Scholar, PubMed and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) databases. Results showed that all the individuals belonged to 13-76 years (mean age of 27.12% ±7.06 years). Among all the individuals, 2.28% were transgender whereas 97.9% were MSM (Men who have sex with men). Children <18 years constitute 7.63% of total population and among those 1.54% identified as TG(Transgender) while 98.45% recognized themselves as MSM. About 79% were involved in sex work and among those 31.4% had some sort of STI symptoms. Anal signs were more commonly observed in both TG and MSM. There were 65 HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) cases making the prevalence up to 2%. Findings from systemic review can be categorized into six broader thematic areas including: Increased occurrence of STIs like anal warts, anal ulcers, syphilis, HIV, etc., sex exchange, sex with multiple partners, low condom usage, use of injectable drugs and low awareness about STIs. Our findings suggest that gender and sexual minorities are a high-risk population for STIs and are in urgent need for prevention, care and services. Therefore, effective programmatic interventions are needed to target them, identify and treat STIs and increase their awareness.